Reportage: Archana Masih
Photograph: Jewella C Miranda

Gurudutt Sharma has been a booking clerk at the station for two years. These days he is on an 8 am to 4 pm shift.

Easy as his job of handing tickets may seem, it is far from that.

The booking clerks find it hard to leave their windows even for a glass of water or to attend a phone call.

When they do, they leave a 'closed' sign, which very often is not received kindly by the public.

Of the 11 counters, one is open 24 hours. The cheapest ticket at Rs 3 is for a two hour platform ticket; the most expensive second class ticket costs Rs 24, the one way fare to Kasara, 121 km away.

The ticket windows are in one of the most beautiful parts of the terminus. Look up at the ceiling and the elegant vaults above are fantastic.

The foyer and concourse houses three old giant clocks, ones that cannot be found anymore. The grand main conference hall in the administrative building has another clock inside a wooden case made by a company in London's Regent Street.

They are all in excellent working condition.

Insiders say there are staff whose main job is looking after the maintenance of the clocks.

Like many things at CST, these clocks are irreplaceable.