Royapuram | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Indian Railways and Chennai Suburban Railway station | |||||
 Royapuram station | |||||
| General information | |||||
| Coordinates | 13°06′15″N 80°17′37″E / 13.10403°N 80.29366°E | ||||
| Owned by | Ministry of Railways, Indian Railways | ||||
| Line(s) | North, West, West North and West South lines of Chennai Suburban Railway | ||||
| Platforms | 4 | ||||
| Tracks | 26 | ||||
| Construction | |||||
| Structure type | Standard on-ground station | ||||
| Parking | Available | ||||
| Other information | |||||
| Status | Active | ||||
| Station code | RPM | ||||
| Fare zone | Southern Railways | ||||
| History | |||||
| Opened | 28 June 1856[1][2] | ||||
| Electrified | 9 August 1979[3] | ||||
| Previous names | Madras and Southern Mahratta Railway | ||||
| |||||
Royapuram railway station (station code: RPM) is a railway station at Royapuram, on the Chennai Beach–Walajapet section of the Chennai Suburban Railway network in Chennai, India. It is the second oldest railway station currently operational in India after Howrah railway station situated in Howrah, West Bengal (the original structures of the two older stations, Bombay and Thane, are no longer operational) and the first railway station of South India.[4][5][6] The first train of South India started operating in June 1856 from Royapuram railway station. The station also remained the headquarters of the Madras and Southern Mahratta Railway till 1922, when the headquarters was shifted to Egmore.[7] Since the original structures of Bombay and Thane stations no longer exist, Royapuram station remains the oldest railway station in the entire subcontinent.[8]
Owing to lack of maintenance, Royapuram railway station building was degraded to a dilapidated condition over the decades.[9] One end of the station, which was formerly used as a military platform, became a playground with most of the area covered with overgrown scrub vegetation.[10] The other end of the station is being used for the transport of goods trains and the platform adjacent the main building is utilised for passenger trains.[11] In 2005, the building was refurbished at an estimated cost of ₹ 3.5 million and was re-opened to the public on 2 October 2005 by the then union minister of state for railways, R. Velu. It is the oldest surviving railway station structures of the Indian Railways,[1][2] as well as the Indian subcontinent.[12]
The Justice Padmanabhan committee, constituted by the Tamil Nadu state government, has identified the station as among the 800 heritage structures.[13] As per the city's list of heritage structures, the station is under the Grade I category.[14]
- ^ a b Varghese, Nina (27 August 2005). "Royapuram railway station repair work may be completed by Oct". The Hindu Business Line. Chennai. Retrieved 20 November 2011.
- ^ a b "Baalu demands new rail link projects for Tamil Nadu". The Hindu. 8 January 2012. Retrieved 27 December 2013.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
IRFCA_HistoryOfElectrificationwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "Third oldest railway station in country set to turn 156". Deccan Chronicle. Chennai. Archived from the original on 29 June 2012. Retrieved 27 June 2012.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
TOI_Terminal_AStudyIsOnwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ অযান্ত্রিক (18 November 2015). "Howrah Railway Junction Station, Howrah, 1854 –". puronokolkata. Retrieved 28 October 2019.
- ^ "Chapter 1 – Evolution of Indian Railways-Historical Background". Ministry of Railways website.
- ^ "The train to Royapuram". Live Mint.com. Chennai: LiveMint.com. Retrieved 26 May 2012.
- ^ "The South's first station". The Hindu. Chennai. 26 February 2003. Archived from the original on 2 July 2003. Retrieved 19 November 2011.
- ^ "Royapuram Railway Station". NorthMadras.com. 4 September 2011. Retrieved 27 December 2011.
- ^ Lakshmi, K. (22 April 2003). "Royapuram railway station in a dilapidated condition". The Hindu. Chennai. Archived from the original on 25 January 2013. Retrieved 27 December 2011.
- ^ "The train to Royapuram". Mint. 25 May 2012.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
Hindu_LivingHistorywas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "Fate of Royapuram station rests on study". The Hindu. Chennai. 22 August 2013. Retrieved 26 January 2014.