Chennai Central railway station

Location
	Chennai Central ; Puratchi Thalaivar Dr. M.G. Ramachandran Central Railway Station Location within Chennai
	Interactive map

Chennai Central
Puratchi Thalaivar Dr. M.G. Ramachandran Central Railway Station
Chennai Central ; Puratchi Thalaivar Dr. M.G. Ramachandran Central Railway Station
	Front facade of Chennai Central
General information
Other names	Chennai Central; Madras Central; M.G.R. Chennai Central;
Location	Poonamallee High Road, Periamet, Chennai; India
Coordinates	13°04′57″N 80°16′30″E / 13.0825°N 80.2750°E
Elevation	3.465 m (11.37 ft)
System	Indian Railways; Chennai Suburban Railway;
Owned by	Ministry of Railways, Government of India
Operated by	Indian Railways
Lines	Chennai–Bengaluru; Chennai–Howrah; Chennai–Mumbai; Chennai–New Delhi;
Platforms	17; (12 main station + 5 Chennai Suburban Terminal)
Connections	MTC; Chennai Suburban (Park); Chennai MRTS (Park Town); Blue Line Green Line (Central);
Construction
Parking	Available
Accessible
Architect	George Harding; Robert Chisholm;
Architectural style	Gothic Revival; Romanesque;
Other information
Status	Operational
Station code	MAS
Zone(s)	Southern Railway zone
Division(s)	Chennai
History
Opened	1873
Electrified	1931
Passengers
	730,000 per day (2023)
Services
200 Mail/Express; 1000 Suburban/MU; per day (2023)
Location
Location
	Chennai Central ; Puratchi Thalaivar Dr. M.G. Ramachandran Central Railway Station Location within Chennai
	Interactive map

Chennai Central (officially Puratchi Thalaivar Dr. M.G. Ramachandran Central Railway Station, formerly Madras Central) (station code: MAS), is a railway station in Chennai, India. It is one of the busiest railway stations in South India and a major rail hub in the country. It is classified as a NSG–1 category station and comes under the purview of the Chennai railway division of the Southern Railway zone of the Indian Railways. It is situated in the neighbourhood of Periamet, with the main entrance situated on the Poonamallee High road. It caters to various inter-city express trains, with multiple units, and suburban services operating from the adjacent suburban terminal.

The Madras Central station was built in 1873 and became the terminus of the Madras Railway in the city. The building was designed by architect George Harding and was further modified as per the design of Robert Chisholm in 1900. Designed in a mixed Gothic Revival and Romanesque architecture, it is one of the prominent landmarks in Chennai. The station had undergone a series of renovations since then. It became part of the Madras and Southern Mahratta Railway in 1908, and later as a part of the Southern Railway zone of the Indian Railways in 1951. The station underwent modifications and expansions in 1959.

The railway lines at the station was electrified in 1979. The Moore Market Complex, adjacent to the main terminal, was opened in 1986 to accommodate suburban services, and ticket offices. The station underwent further expansion in 1998, with the addition of a new building to the west. It was renamed to Chennai Central in 1998 to reflect the name change of the city from Madras to Chennai in 1996. It was rechristened in honour of former chief minister M. G. Ramachandran on 5 April 2019. After the renaming, it became the second-longest name of a railway station after the station at Llanfair in Wales.

As of 2024, it is the third highest revenue earning station of the Indian Railways. As per a 2007 report published by the Indian Railways, the station was rated as one of the cleanest in South India.