Chennai Beach 6.18

Chennai Beach, is a railway terminus of the Southern Railway Network in Parry's Corner, Chennai, India. This station serves the suburban services of the Chennai suburban railway and Mass Rapid Transit System and a few passenger trains. It serves as the northern terminus for the Chennai MRTS line. The station is named after High Court Beach which was later built up as part of Chennai Port, and not after Marina Beach, which is located a few kilometres away and is served by Chepauk, Triplicane and Lighthouse stations of the MRTS line. The station consists of 1500 sq.m of open parking area.The station is adjacent to the High Court and Broadway. There is also Burma Bazaar, which sells foreign merchandise in small shops outside of the station. Most of the government offices and headquarters of some banks, and Parry Group's offices are also located near the station.In addition to being a focal terminus for much of Chennai's rail network, the station is also a major bus transportation hub for passengers destined to north and northwest Chennai. Most of these local buses are situated near the station.HistoryUntil the introduction of the electric trains, the city had the single steam rail line between Harbour and Tambaram, used by both passenger and goods trains. The plan to electrify railway lines in Madras was first initiated in 1923 by Sir Percy Rothera, an agent of the South Indian Railways, who felt the need for such a service. This was in a time when the city was expanding, with largely agricultural areas such as Saidapet, St. Thomas Mount and Tambaram developing into residential quarters. However, the plan was realised only in the following decade. Plan to build a new line between Beach and Egmore and two lines between Egmore and Tambaram was announced as part of the suburban remodelling initiative of South Indian Railways. On 27 December 1930, the first consignment of 25 electric carriages from England was received by the railway. The trains were painted in dull green with a black wheel base and featured wide sliding doors, a better-designed seating arrangement, and thick glass fronts. The new carriages were parked in Tambaram station.