Indian Railways is mammoth – millions use it daily. The first train in India (commercial) ran in 1953 from Boribunder to Thane and developed rapidly. When the Nation attained Independence, Railways experienced a strange phenomenon. Mandra-Bhaun line went to Pakistan. In 2009 there were reports that the 75-kilometre-long railway track starting from Mandra and culminating at Bahun in Chakwal, laid during the British era was ordered to be demolished. Dawn reported that the locals of the area used this rail link till 1989 when a passenger train used to shuttle from Chakwal to Rawalpindi in the morning and came back in the evening. Two big systems, Bengal Assam Railway and North Western Railway were no longer in India. Some 2955 route-km of NWR became the East Punjab Railway in India, leaving 8070km in the then West Pakistan. Part of the Jodhpur Railway also went to West Pakistan.
Imp Pre-script : even to those who have a frequent flyer tag - flight experience is exhilarating, especially as it leaves the ground, you are able to see vehicles, roads, buildings and in a trice – they become too small and you are unable to identify with the aircraft crusing at some thousands of miles above !!
People like me clamour for a window seat to view these – and sometimes one has to purchase a window seat ! - pay for everything !
One may be quite comfortably seated and able to see a lot with naked eyes ! but capturing them on a camera is an herculean task .. .. once you see the output, you might be ashamed to call yourself a photographer !! ( at least that is what I have been experiencing !)
To a new visitor what is Chennai metropolis – small congested roads, with vehicles of all hues, traffic jams, angry impatient residents, hot weather ..
The attractions could be : Temples like Sri Parthasarathi swami Temple, Mylai Kapaleeswarar temple, Central Railway Station (renamed as Puratchi Thalaivar MG Ramachandran Central); Rippon building, Chepauk stadium, L&T stadium, Govt Hospital opp to Central, Fort St George, the long Marina beach, Chennai port – its ships, the winding coovum river – add some more that comes to mind !! – and imagine, how would heart of Chennai look from above !!
Chennai Central (now Puratchi Thalaivar Dr. MG Ramachandran Central Railway Station) (station code: MAS), is the main railway terminus, 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 replacing Venkatanarasimharajuvaripeta in 2019, when it was renamed. 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. This station connects to Northern India, including Kolkata, Mumbai and New Delhi, as well as to Bengaluru, Vijayawada, Visakhapatnam, Hyderabad, Coimbatore and parts of Kerala.
The century-old building of the railway station was designed by architect George Harding. The station was renamed twice, from Madras Central to Chennai Central in 1996, to reflect the name change of the city of Madras to Chennai, and then in 2019 named after the popular Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu MGR.
This picture was taken by me recently on an air travel and to my happiness and pleasant surprise, am able to see so many places, more particularly Central Railway station.
Any comments !
With regards – S. Sampathkumar
22.2.2023
