Chennai Central Railway Station: A Travel Guide

Chennai Central is the kind of place most Chennai residents pass through dozens of times without ever really looking up at it, and that is a shame, because it is one of the finer pieces of railway architecture in the country as well as being the beating heart of the city’s long distance train network.

A Brief History

The station was built in the early 1870s, opening in 1873 as the terminus for the Madras Railway, and its red brick Gothic and Romanesque revival facade has barely changed in character since. The building has long been considered one of the standout examples of colonial era railway architecture in South India, with its arched windows, tall clock tower and imposing frontage facing onto what is now EVR Periyar Salai. In recent years the station was officially renamed Puratchi Thalaivar Dr MGR Chennai Central Railway Station in honour of the former Tamil Nadu chief minister and film star M G Ramachandran, though almost everyone in the city still simply calls it Chennai Central.

Chennai’s Main Long Distance Hub

Chennai Central is run by Southern Railway and functions as the city’s primary gateway for long distance trains, with regular services heading north to Delhi, Kolkata and Mumbai, west and south to Bangalore, Kerala and Coimbatore, and pretty much every other major direction across the country. Egmore station, a short distance away, handles a good number of the trains heading into Tamil Nadu and Kerala, so it is worth double checking which of the two stations your particular train departs from before you travel, since the two are easy to mix up if you are new to the city.

Finding Your Way Around

The station has a large number of platforms, numbered up into the mid teens once the suburban platforms are counted, and the layout can feel a little overwhelming the first time you walk in, especially during peak hours. Digital display boards and platform announcements list departures, but it is always worth arriving with enough of a buffer to find your platform without rushing. A cloak room or left luggage facility is available for travellers who need to store bags for a few hours between trains, which is genuinely useful if you have a long gap and want to step out to see the city. Food options range from basic railway catering stalls to a few better known chains, and there is a reasonable spread of small shops for last minute essentials, water, snacks and the like, scattered around the concourse.

Getting In and Out

Outside the main entrance there is a prepaid taxi counter and an auto stand, both useful if you want to avoid haggling over fares the moment you step off a train, particularly late at night or early in the morning when you are tired and unfamiliar with the area. For anyone connecting onward, Chennai Central has its own Metro station on the Blue Line, making it straightforward to reach the airport or other parts of the city without dealing with surface traffic. The station is also close to the MRTS and suburban rail network, and Park Town, the local suburban station, sits right alongside it, so if your onward journey is by local train rather than metro, you do not have far to walk.

The Neighbourhood Around the Station

Chennai Central sits within Park Town, on the edge of George Town, one of the oldest and busiest commercial parts of the city, packed with wholesale markets, old banks and narrow lanes that have been trading for well over a century. Egmore, with its own historic station and museum, is a short distance away too, so travellers with a few spare hours before a train can reasonably explore a bit of old Chennai on foot rather than sitting in the waiting hall the whole time.

Tips for Travellers

• Arrive at least 30 to 45 minutes before departure for long distance trains, more if it is peak season or a festival period when the station gets genuinely crowded.
• Security checks and baggage screening are standard at the entrances, so budget a little extra time for this, particularly during busy periods.
• Retiring rooms are available inside the station for passengers with long layovers or overnight waits between connections, worth booking ahead if you know your schedule in advance.
• Keep a printed or downloaded copy of your ticket and ID handy, since these are checked at multiple points.
• If you are unsure whether your train departs from Central or Egmore, check your ticket carefully. The two stations are a short taxi ride apart, not walking distance.

Whether you are catching an overnight train to Bangalore or just passing through on your way to the metro, Chennai Central rewards a moment of attention. It has been the city’s front door to the rest of India for a century and a half, and it still does that job every single day.

Keep exploring Chennai

• A Guide to Chennai’s Neighbourhoods: Where to Go and Why
• Mahabalipuram: The Complete Guide to the Shore Temple Town
• Weekend Getaways from Chennai: The Best Trips Near the City
• The Best Hotels in Chennai: A Local’s Guide to Where to Stay