The Central Railway Building (CRB) is situated in the scenic hilly area of

Chittagong Chittagong ( ), officially Chattogram, (, ) (, or ) is the second-largest city in Bangladesh. Home to the Port of Chittagong, it is the busiest port in Bangladesh and the Bay of Bengal. The city is also the business capital of Bangladesh. It ...

, Bangladesh. It is the governing office for the general manager of

Bangladesh Railway Bangladesh Railway () is the state-owned rail transport agency of Bangladesh. It operates and maintains all railways in the country, and is overseen by the Directorate General of Bangladesh Railway. The Bangladesh Railway is governed by the Mi ...

. Construction started in 1897, it is one of the oldest buildings of the port city. To the east, across CRB Road, is Railway Hospital at CRB, built in 1994. There is a proposal to establish a 50-bed

medical college A medical association or medical college is a trade association that brings together practitioners of a particular geographical area (a country, region, province). In common-law countries, they are often grouped by medical specialties ( cardiolog ...

at CRB and up-grade the existing Railway Hospital to 250 beds. There is a residential area for the railway officers surrounding it.

Architecture

The principal (south) façade is two storeys high and in length with three projections: a large

porte-cochère A porte-cochère (; ; ; ) is a doorway to a building or courtyard, "often very grand," through which vehicles can enter from the street or a covered porch-like structure at a main or secondary entrance to a building through which originally a ...

in the centre and semi-octagonal towers at either end. The porte-cochère consists of a five bay arcade with buttresses of

corbel In architecture, a corbel is a structural piece of stone, wood or metal keyed into and projecting from a wall to carry a wikt:superincumbent, bearing weight, a type of bracket (architecture), bracket. A corbel is a solid piece of material in t ...

led brickwork at each corner. Each of the two vehicle entrances is spanned by a large

pointed arch A pointed arch, ogival arch, or Gothic arch is an arch with a pointed crown meet at an angle at the top of the arch. Also known as a two-centred arch, its form is derived from the intersection of two circles. This architectural element was partic ...

. The porte-cochère opens on to a wide continuous

veranda A veranda (also spelled verandah in Australian and New Zealand English) is a roofed, open-air hallway or porch, attached to the outside of a building. A veranda is often partly enclosed by a railing and frequently extends across the front an ...

with pointed arch openings, the tympana of which are filled with louvre frames for ventilation and shade. The veranda on the second storey wraps around the porte-cochère in a narrower strip supported by concrete brackets set on corbelled brick footings. This strip of veranda is covered with a sloping shingled roof. The entrance foyer is surmounted by a hemispherical dome. The blocks behind the semi-octagonal terminal projections are three storeys high.

In popular culture

Pohela Boishakh celebration

''Pohela Boishakh'' or Nobo Borsho or Bengali New Year celebrated every year on the open stage called "Shireeshtala" at CRB area. This open stage surrounded by several old

Albizia lebbeck ''Albizia lebbeck'' is a species of plant in the family Fabaceae, native to the Indian subcontinent and Myanmar. It is widely cultivated and naturalised in other tropical and subtropical regions, including Australia. Common names in English inc ...

trees, in Bengali it is called Shireesh.

Boli Khela Boli Khela or Bali Khela () is a traditional form of wrestling in Bangladesh, particularly popular in the Chittagong area considered as a national game of the district. It is a form of combat sport involving grappling type techniques such as ...

a type of free hand wrestling, is organised every year at this place during the Bangla New Year festival. At the festival it is the centre of attraction for people of all ages.

Gallery

File:Central Railway Building (2).jpg, CRB building File:First Ever Steam Engine of Bangladesh (2).jpg, First ever steam engine of Bangladesh at CRB File:Shireeshtala, CRB (01).jpg, Shireeshtala, south-west exposure File:Shireeshtala, CRB (02).jpg, Shireeshtala, west exposure File:CRB Road (01).jpg, CRB Road File:CRB Jame Mosque gate.jpg, CRB Mosque gate File:Central Railway Building gate (2).jpg, CRB gate File:সিআরবি শিরীষতলা.jpg, Shiresshtala File:সিআরবির সবুজ মাঠ.jpg, Green ground at CRB

References

External links