MAS रेलवे स्टेशन की जानकारी और MAS से ट्रेनें

CHENNAI CENTRAL - MAS

"Chennai Central" (officially "Puratchi Thalaivar Dr. M.G. Ramachandran Central Railway Station"), formerly known as "Madras Central" (station code: "MAS"), is the main railway terminus in the City of Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. It is the busiest railway station in South India and one of the most important hubs in the country with the distinction of having the ''longest name'' among all stations on the Indian Railways. It is connected to Moore Market Complex railway station, Chennai Central metro station, Chennai Park railway station, Park Town railway station and is 2 km from Chennai Egmore railway station. The terminus connects the city to northern India, including Kolkata, Mumbai and New Delhi, as well as to Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Coimbatore and parts of Kerala.

The century-old building of the railway station, designed by architect George Harding, is one of the most prominent landmarks of Chennai. after the late Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu M. G. Ramachandran.

Madras Central was part of South Indian Railway Company during the British Raj. The company was established in 1890 and was initially headquartered in Tiruchirappalli. Chennai Egmore was made its northern terminus in 1908. In 1959, additional changes were made to the station.

In the 1980s, the Southern Railway required land for expansion of the terminus and was looking for the erstwhile Moore Market building located next to the terminus. In 1985, when the market building caught fire and was destroyed, the structure was transferred to the Railways by the government, and the Railways built a 13-storied complex to house the suburban terminus and railway reservation counter. The land in front of the building was made into a car park. Following the renaming of the city of Madras in 1996, the station became known as Chennai Central. Due to increasing passenger movement, the main building was extended in 1998 with the addition of a new building on the western side with a similar architecture to the original. After this duplication of the main building, the station had 12 platforms. The station is the first in India to be placed on the cyber map. and the western entrance lies at the entrance of the suburban terminus. The station is connected with the Chennai Park (Chennai Suburban Railway) and the Government General Hospital, Chennai, both located across the road, by means of Subway (underpass). During the building of the Chennai Metro the connection from Chennai Park to Chennai Central is by means of a steel footbridge.

Built in the Gothic Revival architecture style, the original station was designed by George Harding and consisted of four platforms and a capacity to accommodate 12-coach trains. It took another five years for the work to be completed, when the station was modified further by Robert Fellowes Chisholm with the addition of the central clock tower, Travancore 'caps' on the main towers, and other changes. The redesign was eventually completed in 1900. has been declared as a Heritage structures in Chennai. The clock tower with the flagstaff, the tallest of the towers of the main building, has four faces and reaches a height of 136 ft. Chennai Central is the only station that has a platform numbered 2A. Though it was built actually for delivering water and goods to the station staff, the Shatabdi Express now starts from here.

Bridge No.7 across the Buckingham Canal connects the terminus with the railway yards and stations to the north. The bridge, measuring 33.02 m in length and carrying six tracks, acts as the gateway to the terminus. The bridge was originally resting on cast iron screw pile. Following the Kadalundi train derailment of Mangalore Mail killing 57 passengers, Southern Railway started replacing all bridges resting on screw piles, and the bridge was replaced with a new Precast concrete#Reinforced Concrete Box bridge resting on well foundation in September 2010, with ancillary works getting completed by March 2011.

On an average, 19 trains are operated daily from the station of which 12 have 24 coaches. in addition to 20,000 visitors accompanying them to see-off

receive them, The station also handles 5,000 postal bags daily.

The station has bookshops, restaurants, accommodation facilities, Internet browsing centres, and a shopping mall. The main waiting hall can hold up to 1,000 people. In spite of being the most important terminus of the region, the station lacks several facilities such as drinking water facility, and coach position display boards. The main concourses too have long exhausted their capacity to handle the increasing passenger crowd. There are passenger operated enquiry terminals and seven touch-screen PNR status machines in the station. The station has three split-flap display timing boards, electronic display boards and Plasma TVs that mention train timings and platform number. A passenger information center in the station has been upgraded with "Spot your Train" live train display facility, information kiosks and passenger digital assistance booths.

As of 2008, there were 607 licensed railway porters in Chennai Central. Four-seater battery operated vehicles are available to cater to the needs of the elderly and the physically impaired.

On 26 September 2014, Chennai Central became the first in the country to get free Wi-Fi connectivity. The facility is being provided by RailTel, a public sector telecom infrastructure provider.

;Emergency medical careIn November 2012, a public interest writ petition was filed in the Madras High Court citing the lack of a full-fledged emergency medical care centre at the terminus. Further to this, the Southern Railway invited expression of interest from several hospitals in the city to establish a medical care centre.

On 15 April 2013, a new emergency medical care centre was opened. The centre has three beds, two doctors on duty and another on standby, four nurses, a paramedic team, and a round-the-clock ambulance. The centre is equipped with oxygen cylinders, an ECG, a defibrillator and resuscitation equipment. The terminus is the first railway station in the country to have facilities of an ambulance.

;ParkingThe station has parking facilities for more than 1,000 two-wheelers. About 1,000 cars are parked in the standard car park every day. Since March 2008, a premium car park facility for 80 cars in addition to its regular car park is functioning at the station. The cement-concrete-paved premium parking is located between the Moore Market reservation complex and the station's main building. However, the station still faces parking problems. About 3,000 taxis arrives at the station every day.

According to the Railway sources, as of July 2012, Chennai Central was 180 short of the sanctioned 405 maintenance employees, including mechanical, electrical and general maintenance, required for cleaning the interiors and exteriors of trains and undertaking routine mechanical and electrical maintenance of trains. Contracts for cleaning the station has been awarded for a period of three years from 2010 for a value of 43.1 million. In 2007, the number of dustbins in the station was 28.50 per 10,000 passengers.

On average, about 51 train units depart and arrive at the station from different parts of the country everyday. Of the 102 trains, a 12 are sent during the day and another 7 at night to the ''Basin Bridge Train Care Centre'' for primary maintenance, which involves complete exterior and interior cleaning and total mechanical and electrical overhaul. The rest of the trains go through secondary maintenance

'other-end attention' at the depot

'turn back train attention' at Chennai Central itself. Secondary maintenance includes filling water, while the third is the 'other-end attention', in which the train, especially the toilets, is cleaned. The fourth category of trains, such as ''Sapthagiri Express'' and Pallavan Express, are turn-back trains, which arrive and leave in a short time from Chennai Central after toilet-cleaning and water-filling is done right at the terminus platform. As of 2008, Chennai Central had about 30 sanitary workers employed on a contractual basis in Zone I (platforms 1 to 6). Zone II (platforms 7 to 12) was cleaned by close to 40 railway employees.

Locomotives of India#Shunting locomotives (also known as switching engines) involved in shunting passenger trainsA broad-gauge coach maintenance depot, called the Basin Bridge Train Care Centre, is located at the northern side of the terminus, where trains of 18 to 24 coaches are checked, cleaned and readied for its next trip after they return from round trips.

Water accumulated in pit lines are let out into the Buckingham Canal by means of drainage channels. However, as the yard is located in a basin area, water does not drain quickly enough. In addition, the centre faces pests and other hygiene issues too.

The terminus has an electric locomotive trip shed, the Basin Bridge electric loco trip shed, located north of the train care centre. It is one of the five loco trip sheds of the Southern Railway. To lessen load on the shed, an additional electric trip shed has been created at Tondiarpet, which also serves as a crew change point for freights.

The terminus has a goods shed attached to it at Salt Cotaurs.

Chennai Central gets renovation after 2010, is undertaken by the building division of the Southern Railway with the technical assistance provided by the Chennai Circle of Archaeological Survey of India. The work is carried out to ensure the original character of the building is maintained. The Station building has maroon colour since its inception in 1873.

In February 2019, as part of the Railway Ministry's plan to install flag masts at 75 major stations in the country, a 100-foot flag mast was installed at the front of the main building of the station at a cost of 1.5 million. Weighing around 2 tonnes, the mast is made of galvanised iron pipes. The mast is one of the tallest in the city. The polyester-and-cotton flag is 60-ft wide and weighs around 9.5 kg, and can be hoisted both manually and electronically.

, the suburban terminal of Chennai Central

Chennai Central is a hub for suburban trains. Suburban lines originating from Chennai Central include West North Line, Chennai Suburban, North Line, Chennai Suburban, and West Line, Chennai Suburban. Chennai Park suburban station is in proximity to the station, thus facilitating connectivity to Tambaram/Chengalpet/Tirumalpur routes through South Line, Chennai Suburban and South West Line, Chennai Suburban. Chennai Central can be directly reached from all suburban stations and MRTS stations in and around Chennai (except Washermanpet and Royapuram) either through its own MMC Complex for suburban trains

through the nearby Chennai Park (Chennai Suburban Railway) suburban station

the Chennai Park Town (Chennai MRTS). Currently, there is only one direct suburban train that plies from Chennai Beach Junction to Chennai Central via Washermanpet and Royapuram, and hence there is no frequent direct connectivity for these two stations to Chennai Central. The Chennai Park Town Mass Rapid Transit System (Chennai) station is close to Chennai Central station.

An Chennai Central metro station of the ongoing Chennai Metro Rail project is under construction at the Chennai Central station. It is one of the two metro stations where Corridor I (Blue Line (Chennai Metro)) (Chennai International Airport metro station-Tiruvottiyur) of the project will intersect with Corridor II (Green Line (Chennai Metro)) (Chennai Central-St. Thomas Mount via Egmore, CMBT). The metro station, being constructed at a depth of , will be the largest of all metro stations in the city with an area of over . The station will act as a transit point for passengers from the Central, Chennai Park Town (Chennai MRTS), and Chennai Park railway stations. It is estimated that more than 100,000 commuters will utilise the station daily. by means of separate bus lanes near the main entrance, close to the concourse. There are prepaid auto and taxi stands at the station premises. However, only 30 autorickshaws are presently attached to the prepaid counter parking, as Chennai Metro Rail has acquired its parking area for station construction.

The terminus is connected to the Park railway station and the Government General Hospital by two subways on either side. The two subways, which are one of the first in the city, are used by thousands of commuters day round. at times resulting in accidents.

The terminus is connected with the Egmore station, the other most important terminus of the city, by a circuitous and congested route covering a distance of 11.2 km via Chennai Beach. There was initially a proposal to connect the two termini by means of an elevated section with double-line broad-gauge electrified track with two elevated platforms at Chennai Central, at the cost of 930 million, which would cut the distance to 2.5 km. The project, approved on 8 April 2003 and initially aimed to be completed by 2005, was later scrapped owing to the expected rate of return on the project being only 1 to 2 percent, poor soil conditions on the Poonamallee High Road, and other issues.

The portion of the Buckingham canal running near the terminus and beneath Pallavan Salai is covered for 250 m, which makes the task of maintaining the canal difficult. After being desilted in 1998, the covered stretch of the canal near the terminus was cleaned in September 2012. Garbage is dumped into the canal via the openings near the Chennai Central premises. An estimated 6,000 cubic meters of silt was removed from the 2-m-deep canal.

On 14 August 2006, a major fire broke out in Chennai Central, completely destroying a bookshop.

On 29 April 2009, a suburban EMU train from Moore Market was hijacked by an unidentified man, who rammed it into a stationary goods train at the Vyasarpadi Jeeva (Chennai Suburban Railway), northwest of Chennai Central. 4 passengers were killed and 11 were injured. The train which was scheduled to depart at 5:15 am started at 4:50 am instead. The train was moving with a speed of 92 km per hour with 35 passengers on board at the time of collision.

On 6 August 2012, a man hailing from Nepal perched atop the clock tower of the station's main building, creating a commotion. He was later safely persuaded back down the tower by the City Police and Southern Railway officials.

On 1 May 2014, 2014 Chennai train bombing two low-intensity blasts in two coaches S4 and S5 of the stationary Bangalore-Guwahati express, killing one female passenger and injuring at least fourteen.

In a first of its kind for the railways, a bomb disposal squad of the railway protection force, equipped with state-of-the-art gadgets imported at a cost of over 2.5 million, was inaugurated at Chennai Central on May 2002. The squad functions round the clock and its personnel were trained at the National Security Guard Training Centre at Maneswar and the Tamil Nadu Commando School.In 2009, following the train accident at the Vyasarpadi Jeeva station, surveillance cameras were installed at the suburban terminus platforms. A security boundary wall 200 m long was erected along platform 14 to check unauthorised persons entering the station. Two security booths were planned, one each at the main terminus and the suburban terminus. A government railway police (GRP) station is located on the first floor at the western end, headed by a Deputy superintendent and two inspectors.

On 15 November 2012, Integrated Security System (ISS) was launched at the station, which comprises sub-systems such as CCTV surveillance system with 54 IP-based cameras, under-vehicle scanning system (UVSS) for entries and exits, and personal and X-ray baggage screening system. In addition, explosive detection and disposal squad have been deployed. The sub-system will be integrated by networking and monitored at the centralised control rooms. Existing CCTV network of suburban platforms has also been integrated to this system.

In 2004, a second terminal was planned near the Moore Market Complex, with six platforms to be constructed in the first phase of the project and four platforms each in the second and third phases. For additional infrastructure, the goods yard at Salt Cotaurs will be closed to provide more pit line and stabling line facilities for the new terminal.

In 2007, the Railway Board declared a plan to develop the terminus into a world-class one at a cost of , along with two other stations (Thiruvananthapuram Central and Mangalore Central), The plan included creating multi-level platforms where express and suburban trains could arrive and depart from the same complex. However, the project is yet to begin.

In June 2012, the first skywalk in Chennai connecting Chennai Central, Park Railway Station and Government General Hospital, Chennai was planned at a cost of . It will be long, linking the station with nine points, including Evening Bazaar, Government Medical College and Ripon Buildings on Poonamallee High Road.

In February 2013, as part of a national initiative to eliminate ballast tracks at major stations, washable aprons—ballastless tracks

tracks on a concrete bed—were installed along the entire length of tracks of platforms 3, 4 and 5 at the terminus. Washable aprons that are already present for a few metres in some of the platforms at the terminus will be extended, viz. on platform 3, on platform 4, and on platform 5, while new ones will be built on platforms with ballast tracks.

Chennai Central is among the 23 stations in the country that will be privatised as part of redevelopment under the BFOT (Build, Finance, Operate, Transfer) scheme. More passengers amenities will be provided on a 1.545-acre plot of land adjacent to the Moore Market Suburban complex allotted for commercial exploitation. Additional space for operational purposes, including the station master's room, passenger information centre, movement control room, Railway Protection Force control room containing closed circuit television (CCTV) cameras, Government Railway Police station, and Travelling Ticket Examiner chart room, covering a total of 2,873.76 square metres will be built. The developer will maintain the station premises for 15 years, while the lease period of the additional land and aerial space to be developed will be 45 years.

In 2017, the state government proposed to build a commercial square called the Central Square, Chennai in the around the station.

On 6 March 2019, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced at an NDA political rally that the station will be renamed after former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. G. Ramachadran. On 5 April, the station was officially renamed as Puratchi Thalaivar Dr. M.G. Ramachandran Central Railway Station. The renaming ran into controversy when Tamil Nadu Chief Electoral Officer Satyabrata Sahoo wrote to the Election Commission of India claiming that the timing of the renaming violated the model code of conduct for the 2019 Indian general election. The new name is currently the India's first and World's second longest name for a railway station after Llanfairpwll railway station in Wales, United Kingdom.

Chennai Central Railway Station is one of the most prominent landmarks in the city that is often featured in movies and other pop culture in the region. The station has been used in numerous Indian novels and film and television productions over the years. Many films and television programs have been filmed at the station, including:, ''Cochin Express'' (1967) (Malayalam language), ''No.20 Madras Mail'' (1990) (Malayalam language), ''Kadhal Kottai'' (1996) (Tamil language), ''Mudhalvan'' (1999) (Tamil language), ''Kushi (2000 film)'' (2000) (Tamil language), ''Roja Kootam'' (2002) (Tamil language), ''Madrasapattinam'' (2010) (Tamil language), ''Siruthai'' (2011) (Tamil language), ''Thodari'' (2016) (Tamil language), ''Bigil'' (2019) (Tamil language)The station has been poetized by Vijay Nambisan in his 1988 award-winning poem 'Madras Central (poem)' published in 1989. The poem is regarded as a modern classic.

In 2009, the Indian Postal Service featured Chennai Central in a postal stamp.