Chennai Beach station

Chennai Beach (Madras Beach) சென்னைக் கடற்கரை
Terminal station of MRTS and Junction station of Chennai Suburban Railway and Southern Railways
Main building of Chennai Beach station
Location	Rajaji Salai, Chennai, Tamil Nadu 600 001, India
Coordinates	13°05′32″N 80°17′31″E / 13.09222°N 80.29190°E / 13.09222; 80.29190Coordinates: 13°05′32″N 80°17′31″E / 13.09222°N 80.29190°E / 13.09222; 80.29190
Owned by	Ministry of Railways, Indian Railways
Line(s)	South, South West and West South lines of Chennai Suburban Railway MRTS Line 1 Chennai Egmore – New Delhi
Platforms	7
Tracks	11
Construction
Structure type	Standard on-ground station
Parking	Available
Other information
Station code	MSB
Fare zone	Southern Railways
History
Previous names	South Indian Railway (Madras and Southern Mahratta Railway)
Services
Preceding station   Chennai MRTS   Following station Terminus Chennai Beach-St.Thomas Mount Chennai Fort toward St. Thomas Mount

Chennai Beach (formerly known as Madras Beach), is a railway terminus of the Southern Railway Network in Parry's Corner(பாரிமுனை), Chennai, India. This station serves the suburban services of the Chennai suburban railway and Mass Rapid Transit System (Chennai) 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.

Until 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.