About Chennai Egmore
Chennai Egmore railway station (station code MS) is the second of Chennai's two great railway termini, after Chennai Central. Where Central serves the north and west, Egmore is the gateway to southern Tamil Nadu: Madurai, Tiruchirappalli, Thanjavur, Rameswaram, Kanyakumari and beyond. It is run by the Southern Railway zone's Chennai division and is graded NSG-1. As of 2022 it handled about 120 mail and express trains and 442 suburban trains a day.
How Chennai Egmore began
A station opened at Egmore in 1880. Its grand terminal building came two decades later, built by the South Indian Railway:
- 1904: land for the new terminal is acquired; about 1.8 acres was bought from Pulney Andy for ₹0.1 million.
- September 1905: construction begins under contractor T. Samynada Pillai.
- 11 June 1908: the terminal building officially opens, having cost about ₹1.7 million.
- 1931: electrification.
- 1951: the South Indian Railway becomes part of the new Southern Railway.
- 1998: conversion to broad gauge. For most of the 20th century Egmore was the great metre-gauge terminus of the south.
- 2004: a new suburban terminal is added; a second entrance follows in 2006.
Architecture
The building was designed by Henry Irwin with E. C. Bird, and blends Gothic and Indo-Saracenic architecture with elements of Dravidian temple design, a combination that makes it one of the most distinctive railway buildings in South India. The original structure measured about 300 ft by 70 ft.
Platforms and facilities
Egmore has 11 platforms on 12 tracks, 8 metres or so above sea level. Platforms 5 to 9 were extended in 2019–20 to take longer trains. Facilities include 16 air-conditioned dormitories, 14 retiring rooms and 3 waiting halls. The station is being renovated under the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme.
Famous trains from Egmore
- Pandian Express and Vaigai Express to Madurai
- Pothigai Express towards Sengottai
- Rockfort Express to Tiruchirappalli
- Ananthapuri Express to Kollam
- Trains to Kanyakumari and Rameswaram
Pandian, Vaigai, Rockfort and Ananthapuri timings are in our train timetable.
Links around Chennai Egmore
- Chennai Metro Green Line: Egmore metro station.
- Suburban rail: South line services towards Tambaram and Chengalpattu.
- Road: MTC buses, prepaid taxis and autorickshaws; multi-storey parking.
Egmore pointers
- Don't confuse Egmore (MS) with Chennai Central (MAS). Many trains to the south use Egmore.
- Southbound overnight trains fill up quickly, especially around Pongal and Deepavali; book early.
- Egmore metro station on the Green Line is one stop from Chennai Central.