Southern Railway — Severe hardship to passengers due to shifting of Ananthapuri Express departure from Chennai Egmore to Tambaram

I wish to bring to your kind attention the severe inconvenience faced by passengers due to the shifting of the arrival and departure point of Ananthapuri Express from Chennai Egmore to Tambaram for the past seven months.

I am a frequent traveller on the Ananthapuri Express to Trivandrum and travel almost every weekend. The present arrangement is causing considerable hardship to passengers.

Reaching Tambaram in the evening to board the train has become extremely difficult. Travelling by suburban local trains during peak hours is a nightmare due to heavy rush and overcrowding. Many passengers, including families, senior citizens, and those travelling with luggage, struggle even to board the suburban trains in time to reach Tambaram.

Passengers residing in central parts of Chennai earlier had convenient access to Egmore station. However, travelling all the way to Tambaram requires additional travel time, multiple changes in transport, and higher travel costs. The heavy congestion in suburban trains during evening peak hours makes the journey extremely stressful and uncertain.

Further, late evening or night travel to Tambaram also raises safety and accessibility concerns for many passengers, particularly women, elderly persons, and families travelling with children. Auto and cab fares from Tambaram at night are also significantly higher, adding to the inconvenience.

In addition, the train itself is frequently delayed due to the ongoing works and rescheduling at Egmore, which further disrupts passengers’ travel plans and connecting journeys. Despite these issues, it is observed that several other trains operating towards Madurai and other destinations are still originating from Chennai Egmore, while passengers travelling by Ananthapuri Express alone continue to face this prolonged inconvenience.

Passengers are therefore left wondering how long this difficult situation will continue. The temporary arrangement has already been in place for several months, and the continued uncertainty is causing frustration among regular travellers.

I therefore sincerely request the Railway authorities to kindly review the situation and take necessary steps either to restore the departure and arrival of Ananthapuri Express to Chennai Egmore at the earliest, or to provide a practical alternative arrangement that would significantly reduce the hardship faced by passengers.

Thanking you for your attention and expecting an early resolution to this long-pending issue.