PondicherryPondicherry Railway Station
A little bit of French in India. A flavor of the French Riviera in the midst of the sweltering Indian summer. That is what Pondicherry means to most of us Indians. This quaint little Union Territory is as unique as is Goa on the other side of the country.
One will find it very surprising to think back about the history of Pondicherry. Presently known as Puducherry, this Indian territory was surprisingly non Indian till 1954 when the French handed back this place to the Indian Government,. Even then, it allowed many residents the choice to continue to being French nationals and hence, many locals in Pondicherry still have their French passports locked away.
This quaint place consists of four unrelated districts, known as Puducherry, Karaikal, Yanam on the Bay of Bengal and Mahé on the Arabian Sea. With the two seas by its side and the French colonies residing side by side the Indian population, this unique place is a must visit for Indians and foreigners alike.
There are various means to reach Pondicherry. The most popular means is by road from Chennai since it takes les than four hours drive from Chennai. There are various frequent bus services which ply to Pondicherry regularly.
However, for people coming from other places in India, one can avail of the numerous train services available. The most frequent train services are from Chennai. From the Chennai Egmore station, the Bbs Pdy Express goes to Pondicherry only on Wednesdays and the entire train journey takes about four hours. There are other trains from Chennai and other parts of the country which go up to the Villipuram Rail Junction. From here, one can travel by road the 36 km distance to Pondicherry.
The trains from Pondicherry are few, most of which travel up to the Villipuram Rail Junction. The reason behind this is that, the 27 km narrow gauge line to Pondicherry from the Villipuram Rail Junction does not allow much train traffic to and from Pondicherry.
The Pondicherry railway station has been in the news of late due to the efforts of the Southern Railway. The Railways have invested considerable amount of money to provide a much needed facelift to the quaint Pondicherry railway station. From beautifying the platforms with kota stones, amenities for the convenience of passengers have been thought of such as providing waiting halls, air conditioned even, to modernized ticket counters, drinking water facilities, galvanized benches on platforms and so forth.
Thus, Pondicherry railway station is being given the much needed facelift to make this quant French destination in India even more attractive to tourists.
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