The Railway station in Chennai, which is the home of the Southern Railways, is the most important railway hub of South India. This the terminus for the trains that connect Chennai to the other parts of India while the Chennai Egmore station is the terminus for the trains that connects Chennai with other parts of Tamil Nadu (excluding Salem , Erode and Coimbatore). Chennai Central is also the terminus for the Chennai suburban Railway.The building of Chennai Central was designed by the famous architect Henry Irwin.

The station is a world in itself and provides the travelers with a lot of amenities. The station has book-shops, restaurants, accommodation, Internet browsing centres and also essential commodity stores.The station is completely Wi-Fi enabled..In 2005 the building was painted creamy yellow to give it a new look .However the colour of the building was changed to the original brick red keeping in mind the nostalgia of the citizens.Chennai Central has earned the nickname of "Gateway of South"as it served as the gateway for all people who travelled to South India during British times.

The station has seventeen platforms altogether ;eleven platforms to handle long distance trains and six platforms for suburban trains and this complex is popularly called the Moore Market complex.On the West of the Chennai Central is the Ripon building ,which is the building of the Chennai Corporation.To the east of the station is the Southern Railway headquarters.