Moore Market Complex railway station

Coordinates: 13°05′00″N 80°16′27″E / 13.08321°N 80.27424°E / 13.08321; 80.27424

Chennai Central Suburban (Moore Market Complex)
சென்னை நடுவம்-புறநகர் (மூர் சந்தை வளாகம்)
Terminal of Chennai Suburban Railway

The office complex and entrance of the Station
Location Station Road, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
Owned by Ministry of Railways, Indian Railways
Line(s) North Line, West Line and West North Line
Platforms 3
Tracks 3
Construction
Structure type Standard on-ground station
Parking Available
Disabled access Chennai Central
Other information
Station code MMC
Fare zone Southern Railways
History
Previous names Madras and Southern Mahratta Railway
Traffic
Passengers (2013) 400,000
Services

275

Location
Chennai Central Moore Market Complex (MMC)
Chennai Central Moore Market Complex (MMC) (Chennai)

The Moore Market Complex (MMC) is a commercial building complex and railway terminus for the Chennai suburban railway system, situated in Park Town, Chennai. The name Moore Market comes from a market that used to exist at the site before being demolished to make way for the expansion of the Chennai Central station.

History

The Moore Market, c. 1905

Moore Market was originally built to house the hawkers in the Broadway area of Madras. Its foundation stone was laid by Sir George Moore, president of the Madras Corporation in 1898. The building was designed in the Indo Saracenic style by RE Ellis and was constructed by A. Subramania Aiyar. The market, which consisted of a series of shops around a central quadrangle was finally completed in 1900, and had sections for meat, flowers and food items, but was particularly popular for curios including antiques, art, books and pets. Over the years, it gradually took the status of a flea market where one could buy rare and second hand items for a bargain.[1][2]

The Indian Railways, needing land to expand the congested Chennai Central station, tried unsuccessfully to take over the market. On 30 May 1985, the market building was destroyed due to a fire whose cause remains a mystery.[3] The structure was later razed to make way for the new Chennai Suburban Railway terminus and reservation centre. This multistoreyed building also houses the offices of various departments of the railways. The demolition of the market and People's Park is considered to mark the beginning of heritage activism in the city.[1]

Rehabilitation

The government later built a new commercial complex named "Lily Pond Complex" to rehabilitate the traders of Moore Market, further west of the original site. Built in 1986 at a cost of ₹ 66 million, the shopping complex lies mostly vacant due to poor patronage.[4] Majority of the traders continue to live on the streets to this day, hawking used mechanical and electronic goods.

Traffic

The station has three platforms, viz., platform numbers 12, 13, and 14, which are technically continuous with platforms in Chennai Central railway station. There are, as of June 2015, four lines between the station and Basin Bridge station. The station caters to about 275 train services daily and is used by about 200,000 passengers every day.[5]

The future

In 2013, the Railways announced an augmentation of platforms in the station by adding two more platforms. The number of tracks from the station to Basin Bridge station will also be increased from four to six.[5]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Sriram, V. (10 October 2008). "To market, to market...". India Today (Chennai: IndiaToday.in). Retrieved 18 Nov 2012.
  2. ↑ "Gun Street of Chennai". ChennaiBest.com. Retrieved 18 Nov 2012.
  3. ↑
  4. ↑
  5. 1 2 "Fate of Royapuram station rests on study". The Hindu (Chennai: The Hindu). 22 August 2013. Retrieved 26 Jan 2014.
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