Chennai Egmore Railway Station To Soon Get World-Class Makeover, Initial Works Begin

Chennai Egmore Railway Station on Southern Railway will undergo redevelopment with modern amenities and improved facilities.

The change attempts to meet the needs and objectives of a contemporary commuter as well as the growing passenger volume.

The Southern Railway granted a contract worth Rs 734.91 crore to Hyderabad-based M/s DEC Infrastructure & Projects India Private Limited on EPC (engineering procurement contract) basis.

The geotechnical investigation, topographical survey, and installation of a batching plant next to the Poonamallee Highway side are already ongoing as part of the project at Chennai Egmore Railway station.

This project is expected to be finished in a 36-month period.

Project Management Services (PMS), which are in charge of overseeing the redevelopment project, have been given to M/s Tata Consulting Engineers, based in Mumbai, reports Times Now.

The project includes the renovation and refurbishment of the station's 114-year-old heritage building as well as the addition of two new structures. The Gandhi Irwin entrance and EVR Periyar Salai are the two sides of the station that will undergo refurbishment.

In May this year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone for the redevelopment of Chennai Egmore Station.

Under the project, circulating area will be designed for inter-modal transfer facilities with an efficient, convenient and aesthetic solutions to connectivity and integration between various modes of transport. Ramps, escalators and lifts will be provided, facilitating ease of movement of differently-abled passengers.

The station will be upgraded providing modern amenities like adequate washrooms, water coolers, shaded seating and escalators.

Sufficient parking facilities will be provided for various modes of transportation such as taxis, two-wheelers and autorickshaws. A multi-level car parking will also be given to avoid the congestion in parking space.

A separate pavement will be provided for drop-offs/pickups for hassle free movement of vehicles to the maximum possible extent.

The railhead will serve as a multi-modal transport hub for suburban rail, metro and MRTS, besides being entirely divyang-friendly.

Chennai Egmore, built in 1906–1908 as the terminus of the South Indian Railway Company, is based on Gothic style architecture with imposing domes and corridors. It is still regarded as one of the prominent landmarks of Chennai.

The station currently handles about 35 mainline trains and 240 suburban trains, and approximately 24,129 passengers daily. The station's total passenger earnings per year during 2020-2021 was Rs 125 crore.

The nine stations that are being redeveloped by Southern Railways include five in Tamil Nadu (Madurai, Katpadi, Rameswaram and Kanyakumari), three in Kerala and one in Puducherry.