Walk Along the Tracks to the Past

“Broad gauge, standard gauge, meter gauge, narrow gauge; broad gauge, standard gauge, meter gauge, narrow gauge,” I muttered under my breath like a mantra, as I rushed out the door on a drizzly Saturday morning in July. My neighbour eyed me warily as I brushed past her on my way down the stairs to the ground floor, still muttering the names of the gauges. In her defence, I did make for a strange sight. It isn’t every day that you come across someone seemingly muttering incantations about railway gauges, is it?

Fear not, dear reader, I wasn’t actually muttering incantations. I was repeating the names of the railway gauges in an attempt to commit them to memory. Madras Inherited had sent a guide for the heritage walk that day and I had delayed reading it till the last moment. The walk, titled ‘Walk Along the Tracks to the Past’, began at the Beach Railway Station and I was running late.

I reached Chennai’s Beach Railway Station just in time for the heritage walk, armed with a handy guide from Madras Inherited detailing important facts about the history of the Southern Railway and the different types of gauges used by the Indian Railways. I joined my heritage walk group, a large group of 20-odd people at the station.

After a quick introduction to the walk, Ashmitha Athreya, the guide for the heritage walk led us through the Beach Railway Station to our first experience, a quick train journey to Royapuram Railway Station. 

Royapuram railway station’s inconspicuous appearance with sparse crowds and relative silence belies a rich, storied past. It would be easy to assume that the station is yet another run-of-the-mill station but that couldn’t be farther from the truth. The Royapuram railway station is the oldest surviving railway station in India. 

Ashmitha mentioned that the Madras Presidency held the distinction of being the first Presidency to lay railway tracks in the country but the first railway journey in India was flagged off from the Bombay Presidency as a result of internal conflicts and delays in the Madras Presidency.

The first rail journey in present-day South India began from the Royapuram Railway Station on 28 June 1856. The Railway Station also functioned as the headquarters of the Madras & Southern Mahratta Railway (MSMR) for several years.

As my group walked the length of the railway station, trying to reconcile the still, peaceful station in front of us, with the bustling hub it must have been in its heyday, Ashmitha led us through the history of the railways in India. She was quick to point out a bench inscribed with the logo of the MSMR, a detail I would have ordinarily missed but that I now observed with fascination, having understood the significance of the station.

Following a short trek across a railway yard, we reached our final destination of the day – the Southern Railway Press.

The Southern Railway Press is engaged in printing various forms required by the railways. The employees of the press were incredibly generous with their time, indulging the group by showing us old ticket stubs, explaining the importance of the railway press, and answering the endless questions the group had. 

At the end of the walk, the Madras Inherited team distributed the souvenirs, a customary practice. While the souvenirs are always well-thought-out and make for wonderful keepsakes, I was particularly delighted by the souvenir for the day’s walk – a replica of a ticket stub from Chennai Beach Railway Station to Royapuram Railway Station with the date of the walk printed on the front. The train ride, the visit to the Railway Press, the souvenirs, and the skilful storytelling by the guide for the walk made for a lovely experience!

Cover Photo: 

Binsan Oommen Baby

About the Author:

Asma is a writer with an interest in public policy, intersectional feminism, and mental health.