Moore Market Complex railway station

Moore Market Complex
Moore Market Complex
General information
Other namesChennai Suburban Terminal
LocationPark Town, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
System Chennai Suburban Railway
Owned byMinistry of Railways, Indian Railways
Lines
Platforms5
Tracks5
Construction
Structure typeAt level
ParkingAvailable
AccessibleChennai Central
Other information
StatusActive
Station codeMASS
Fare zoneSouthern Railways
Passengers
2013200,000/day[1]
Services
1000/day (2023)[2]
Location
Moore Market Complex is located in Chennai
Moore Market Complex
Moore Market Complex
Location within Chennai

The Moore Market Complex, or the Chennai Suburban Terminal, (station code: MASS), is a railway terminus in the Chennai Suburban Railway system.[3] It is located next to the Chennai Central railway station in Park Town, Chennai. The station was built in 1986 on the space occupied by the Moore Market complex, which was destroyed in a fire in 1985.

The station serves as the hub for suburban trains on the North, West, West North, and West South lines of the Chennai suburban rail network.[4][5] As of 2023, the station has five platforms, numbered from 12 to 16, to be continuous with platforms in the Chennai Central, and caters to about 1000 train services daily.[2]

History

The Moore Market, c. 1905

Moore Market was originally built to house the hawkers in the Broadway area of Madras. The building, designed in the Indo-Saracenic style by R. E. Ellis, was constructed by A. Subramania Aiyar, and completed in 1900. It had various shops located around a central square, which developed into a flea market over the years.[6]

In the 1980s, the Indian Railways started looking for land for the expansion of the nearby Chennai Central railway station. On 30 May 1985, the Moore Market building was destroyed due to a fire whose cause was undetermined. The state government transferred the land to the Railways, and the structure was later razed to make way for the new Chennai Suburban Railway terminus. The 13-storied Moore Market Complex opened in 1986 and houses the suburban terminus, railway reservation counters, and other offices.[6][7]

References

  1. ^ "Fate of Royapuram station rests on study". The Hindu. Chennai. 22 August 2013. Archived from the original on 26 August 2013. Retrieved 26 January 2014.
  2. ^ a b Anbuselvan, B. (27 February 2023). "Chennai Central becomes India's first 'silent' railway station". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 7 May 2024.
  3. ^ "Southern Railway List of Stations" (PDF). Centre For Railway Information Systems. 1 April 2023. p. 1. Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 March 2024. Retrieved 23 March 2024.
  4. ^ "Chennai rail map" (PDF). Indiarail Info. Retrieved 1 June 2025.
  5. ^ "Chennai rail map" (PDF). IRFCA. Retrieved 1 June 2025.
  6. ^ a b Sriram, V. (10 October 2008). "To market, to market". India Today. Archived from the original on 16 August 2011. Retrieved 18 November 2012.
  7. ^ Krishnan, P.T. "Can we reverse the blight?". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 19 July 2008. Retrieved 9 December 2008.