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CHENNAI: Among the oldest railway terminals in the country, the Chennai Central Railway Station, is celebrating 140 years of existence. As part of the celebrations for this landmark year in the life of this heritage structure, Southern Railway General Manager Deepak Krishan will inaugurate a mural at the station on Tuesday. Lakhs and lakhs of passengers from different walks of life have transited through the station during and since the British Empire. Commissioned for passenger traffic with only four short platforms on April 7, 1873, the railway station was originally designed by George Hardinge and later additions was made by Robert F. Chisholm.
In fact, the British Engineer Chisholm was given an award of Rs 5,000 for his contributions to the design. The station was constructed to decongest south India’s third oldest railway station, Royapuram, situated close to the Harbour on the North Railway Terminus Road about three kilometres away from Central. Constructed in the Gothic Revival style with Italianate and Hindu overtones, Chisholm added country towers on the sides and the central clock tower as well. The majestic tower at a height of 136 feet has giant clocks on all four faces. It emits a gong every 15 minutes, that can be heard within the radius of three kilometres.
Presently, more than two lakh people visit the station daily and an average of 108 long distance trains depart from here connecting it to almost every nook and corner of the country. Equipped with a 103-inch plasma screen for information on arrival and departure of trains, the station also has 50 CCTV cameras for security.