Madras Central Railway Station And Electric Tram, 1930 Photo.
A 1930 photo of the Madras Central Railway Station with an electric tram passing through during British era. A passing tram can be seen right before the famous Central Railway Station in Madras (now Chennai). Trams were a popular mode of transport in the city until its run ended in 1953. The Madras Tramway began with horse-drawn trams in the early 1870s.
Despite its 12-year operation, the city’s horse-drawn tram was, for some reason, termed a dismal failure and was discontinued in 1888. However, the tramway was revived with the introduction of electric trams in the city in 1895. But this charming transport legacy of the city was shut down in 1953. The clock tower of the iconic Madras Central Railway Station stands like a silent sentinel.
The station is now known as Puratchi Thalaivar Dr. M.G. Ramachandran Central Railway Station. And is one of the most iconic railway stations after Bombay’s Victoria Terminus. The first railway station in South India was built at Royapuram in the 1850s. The Madras Central Station was built in 1873 to decongest the busy Royapuram Station.
It was only by 1907 the Madras Central was made the main station in South India. George Harding had initially designed the building, later modified by Robert Chisholm with the addition of the majestic clock tower. The clock tower was designed with the Travancore Caps, similar to the General Post office’s caps in the city.
Did you know – the first train ran from Madras to Wallajah Road in 1856 but for some reason it was not recorded.
Past posts – Raja Ravi Varma’s “Saraswati” Oleograph From RRV Press 1910., Old Howrah Bridge British Era Calcutta, 1900 Photo., Thiruvannamalai Temple British Bombay Censor WWI, 1915 PC., Bandora, Now Bandra In British Era Bombay, 1882 Print
