Southern Railway (SR) is one of the
eighteen zones of
Indian Railways
Indian Railways is a state-owned enterprise that is organised as a departmental undertaking of the Ministry of Railways (India), Ministry of Railways of the Government of India and operates India's national railway system. , it manages the fou ...
. It is headquartered at
Chennai
Chennai, also known as Madras (List of renamed places in India#Tamil Nadu, its official name until 1996), is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Tamil Nadu by population, largest city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost states and ...
and operates across the
states
State most commonly refers to:
* State (polity), a centralized political organization that regulates law and society within a territory
**Sovereign state, a sovereign polity in international law, commonly referred to as a country
**Nation state, a ...
of
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is the southernmost States and union territories of India, state of India. The List of states and union territories of India by area, tenth largest Indian state by area and the List of states and union territories of Indi ...
,
Kerala
Kerala ( , ) is a States and union territories of India, state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile ...
,
Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh (ISO 15919, ISO: , , AP) is a States and union territories of India, state on the East Coast of India, east coast of southern India. It is the List of states and union territories of India by area, seventh-largest state and th ...
and the
union territory
Among the states and union territories of India, a Union Territory (UT) is a region that is directly governed by the Government of India, central government of India, as opposed to the states, which have their own State governments of India, s ...
of
Puducherry
Puducherry or Pondicherry may refer to:
Places in India
* Puducherry (union territory), formerly known as Pondicherry
** Puducherry (city), capital of the union territory of Puducherry
** Puducherry district
The Puducherry District, also know ...
. The origin of the Southern Railway can be traced back to the
Madras Railway
Madras Railway (Madras Railway Company) was one of the railway companies operating rail services in British India.
In 1832, the proposal to construct the first railway line in India at Madras was made by the British. In 1835, the railway trac ...
formed in 1845. Southern Railway was created on 14 April 1951 by merging three state railways, namely, the
Madras and Southern Mahratta Railway
The Madras and Southern Mahratta Railway was a railway company that operated in southern India. It was founded on 1 January 1908 by merging the Madras Railway and the Southern Mahratta Railway.
Initially, its headquarters was at Royapuram in ...
, the
South Indian Railway Company
The South Indian Railway Company operated a number of gauge lines in South India from 1874 to 1951.
History
The Great Southern of India Railway Company was established with its headquarters in England in 1853. The Carnatic Railway Company wa ...
, and the
Mysore State Railway
Mysore State Railway (MSR) was a railway company which was operated by the government of the Kingdom of Mysore. After India's constitution into a republic, MSR became part of Southern Railways of the government of India on 14 April 1951.
Hist ...
and became the first railway zone created in newly formed India. Southern Railway maintains about of railway lines and operates 727
railway station
Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport using wheeled vehicles running in railway track, tracks, which usually consist of two parallel steel railway track, rails. Rail transport is one of the two primary means of ...
s. It has the distinction of operating the first railway line in
India
India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
, which opened for traffic from Redhills to Chindadripettai in
Madras
Chennai, also known as Madras ( its official name until 1996), is the capital and largest city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost state of India. It is located on the Coromandel Coast of the Bay of Bengal. According to the 2011 Indian ce ...
on 12 September 1836.
History

The history of the Southern Railway can be traced back to the
Madras Railway
Madras Railway (Madras Railway Company) was one of the railway companies operating rail services in British India.
In 1832, the proposal to construct the first railway line in India at Madras was made by the British. In 1835, the railway trac ...
. In 1832, the proposal to construct the first railway line in India at
Madras
Chennai, also known as Madras ( its official name until 1996), is the capital and largest city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost state of India. It is located on the Coromandel Coast of the Bay of Bengal. According to the 2011 Indian ce ...
was made by the
British
British may refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies.
* British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...
. In 1835, the
railway track
Railway track ( and UIC terminology) or railroad track (), also known as permanent way () or "P way" ( and Indian English), is the structure on a railway or railroad consisting of the rails, fasteners, sleepers ( railroad ties in American ...
was constructed between
Little Mount
Little is a synonym for small size and may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* ''Little'' (album), 1990 debut album of Vic Chesnutt
* ''Little'' (film), 2019 American comedy film
*The Littles, a series of children's novels by American author John P ...
and
Chintadripet
Chintadripet (originally Chinna Thari Pettai) is a locality in Chennai, in India
India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by ...
in
Madras
Chennai, also known as Madras ( its official name until 1996), is the capital and largest city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost state of India. It is located on the Coromandel Coast of the Bay of Bengal. According to the 2011 Indian ce ...
and became operational in 1837. The
Madras Railway
Madras Railway (Madras Railway Company) was one of the railway companies operating rail services in British India.
In 1832, the proposal to construct the first railway line in India at Madras was made by the British. In 1835, the railway trac ...
was established later in 1845 and the construction on the first main line between Madras and
Arcot
Arcot (natively spelt as Ārkāḍu) is a town and urban area of Ranipet district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Located on the southern banks of Palar River, the city straddles a trade route between Chennai and Bangalore or Salem, betwe ...
started in 1853, which became operational in 1856. In 1908,
Madras Railway
Madras Railway (Madras Railway Company) was one of the railway companies operating rail services in British India.
In 1832, the proposal to construct the first railway line in India at Madras was made by the British. In 1835, the railway trac ...
merged with
Southern Mahratta Railway
Southern Mahratta Railway (SMR) was a railway company in British India founded in 1882.
History
Captain Charles Cooper Johnson, officiating as constructing engineer of railways in 1858, forwarded the proposal for a railway to be constructed an ...
to form the
Madras and Southern Mahratta Railway
The Madras and Southern Mahratta Railway was a railway company that operated in southern India. It was founded on 1 January 1908 by merging the Madras Railway and the Southern Mahratta Railway.
Initially, its headquarters was at Royapuram in ...
.
In 1944, all the railway companies operating in
British India
The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance in South Asia. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one form or another ...
were taken over by the Government. Post
Independence
Independence is a condition of a nation, country, or state, in which residents and population, or some portion thereof, exercise self-government, and usually sovereignty, over its territory. The opposite of independence is the status of ...
, various re-grouping proposals were studied as there were 42 different railway systems. In December 1950, the Central Advisory Committee for Railways approved the plan for Indian Railways into six zonal systems and the Southern Railway zone was created on 14 April 1951 by merging three state railways, namely, the
Madras and Southern Mahratta Railway
The Madras and Southern Mahratta Railway was a railway company that operated in southern India. It was founded on 1 January 1908 by merging the Madras Railway and the Southern Mahratta Railway.
Initially, its headquarters was at Royapuram in ...
, the
South Indian Railway Company
The South Indian Railway Company operated a number of gauge lines in South India from 1874 to 1951.
History
The Great Southern of India Railway Company was established with its headquarters in England in 1853. The Carnatic Railway Company wa ...
, and the
Mysore State Railway
Mysore State Railway (MSR) was a railway company which was operated by the government of the Kingdom of Mysore. After India's constitution into a republic, MSR became part of Southern Railways of the government of India on 14 April 1951.
Hist ...
.
Organisation

Southern Railway zone covers the states of
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is the southernmost States and union territories of India, state of India. The List of states and union territories of India by area, tenth largest Indian state by area and the List of states and union territories of Indi ...
,
Kerala
Kerala ( , ) is a States and union territories of India, state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile ...
,
Puducherry
Puducherry or Pondicherry may refer to:
Places in India
* Puducherry (union territory), formerly known as Pondicherry
** Puducherry (city), capital of the union territory of Puducherry
** Puducherry district
The Puducherry District, also know ...
and a small portion of
Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh (ISO 15919, ISO: , , AP) is a States and union territories of India, state on the East Coast of India, east coast of southern India. It is the List of states and union territories of India by area, seventh-largest state and th ...
.
Andaman and Nicobar
The Andaman and Nicobar Islands is a union territory of India comprising 572 islands, of which only 38 are inhabited. The islands are grouped into two main clusters: the northern Andaman Islands and the southern Nicobar Islands, separated by ...
will form part of the zone once the proposed new railway line between
Port Blair
Port Blair (), officially named Sri Vijaya Puram, is the capital city of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, a union territory of India in the Bay of Bengal. It is also the local administrative sub-division (''tehsil'') of the islands, the headqu ...
and
Diglipur
Diglipur (sometimes spelled Diglipore) is the largest town of North Andaman Island, in the Andaman Archipelago, India. It is located on the southern side of Aerial Bay, at above sea level, north of Port Blair. It is crossed by the Kalpong R ...
becomes operational.
The Southern Railway is headed by the General Manager, assisted by an Additional General Manager. Southern Railway is headquartered in Chennai and is divided into six divisions namely
Chennai
Chennai, also known as Madras (List of renamed places in India#Tamil Nadu, its official name until 1996), is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Tamil Nadu by population, largest city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost states and ...
,
Tiruchirappalli
Tiruchirappalli (), also known as Trichy, is a major tier II city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and the administrative headquarters of Tiruchirappalli district. The city is credited with being the best livable and the cleanest city of T ...
,
Madurai
Madurai ( , , ), formerly known as Madura, is a major city in the States and union territories of India, Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is the cultural capital of Tamil Nadu and the administrative headquarters of Madurai District, which is ...
,
Palakkad
Palakkad (), Renaming of cities in India, also known as Palghat, historically known as Palakkattussery, is a city and a municipality in the States and union territories of India, Indian state of Kerala. It is the administrative headquarters of P ...
,
Salem
Salem may refer to:
Places
Canada
* Salem, Ontario, various places
Germany
* Salem, Baden-Württemberg, a municipality in the Bodensee district
** Salem Abbey (Reichskloster Salem), a monastery
* Salem, Schleswig-Holstein
Israel
* Salem (B ...
and
Thiruvananthapuram
Thiruvananthapuram ( ), also known as Trivandrum, is the Capital city, capital city of the Indian state of Kerala. As of 2011, the Thiruvananthapuram Municipal Corporation had a population of 957,730 over an area of 214.86 sq. km, making it the ...
.
Operations and infrastructure
The zone operates both passenger and freight trains. Various classes of passenger trains including
Vande Bharat Express
Vande Bharat Express is a medium to long-distance Higher-speed rail (Indian English: Semi-High Speed) Express trains in India#Superfast, Express train service. It is a Indian Railways#Ticketing and fares, reserved, air-conditioned chair car se ...
,
Shatabdi Express
Shatabdi Express () are a series of fast passenger trains operated by Indian Railways. Shatabdi Express are day trains and mostly return to their origin station the same day. The trains run at a maximum permissible speed of depending on the ...
and
Tejas Express
The Tejas Express is a semi-high speed fully air-conditioned train introduced by Indian Railways. It features modern onboard facilities with doors which are operated automatically. Tejas means "sharpness", "lustre", or "brilliance" in many I ...
are operated by Southern Railways.
Freight operations include container traffic from the ports,
coal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock, formed as rock strata called coal seams. Coal is mostly carbon with variable amounts of other Chemical element, elements, chiefly hydrogen, sulfur, oxygen, and nitrogen.
Coal i ...
bound to the thermal power stations,
oil
An oil is any nonpolar chemical substance that is composed primarily of hydrocarbons and is hydrophobic (does not mix with water) and lipophilic (mixes with other oils). Oils are usually flammable and surface active. Most oils are unsaturate ...
and
petroleum
Petroleum, also known as crude oil or simply oil, is a naturally occurring, yellowish-black liquid chemical mixture found in geological formations, consisting mainly of hydrocarbons. The term ''petroleum'' refers both to naturally occurring un ...
products from refineries,
cement
A cement is a binder, a chemical substance used for construction that sets, hardens, and adheres to other materials to bind them together. Cement is seldom used on its own, but rather to bind sand and gravel ( aggregate) together. Cement mi ...
and food grains. Most of the lines inside ports, thermal stations, manufacturing industries and owned by the respective companies and the zone provides a link connecting to its network along with the wagons and locomotives. The zone has a larger proportion of passenger traffic compared to freight. There are about 727 stations on the Southern railway network.
Locomotives

Southern Railway utilizes various classes of
electric
Electricity is the set of physical phenomena associated with the presence and motion of matter possessing an electric charge. Electricity is related to magnetism, both being part of the phenomenon of electromagnetism, as described by Maxwel ...
and
diesel
Diesel may refer to:
* Diesel engine, an internal combustion engine where ignition is caused by compression
* Diesel fuel, a liquid fuel used in diesel engines
* Diesel locomotive, a railway locomotive in which the prime mover is a diesel engine ...
locomotives to haul the trains.
Steam locomotives
A steam locomotive is a locomotive that provides the force to move itself and other vehicles by means of the expansion of steam. It is fuelled by burning combustible material (usually coal, oil or, rarely, wood) to heat water in the locomot ...
are used by the
Nilgiri Mountain Railway
The Nilgiri Mountain Railway (NMR), colloquially called the "Toy Train" by locals, is a railway in Nilgiris district, Tamil Nadu, India, built by the British in 1908. The railway is operated by the Southern Railway and is the only rack railwa ...
. The zone has three
electric locomotive
An electric locomotive is a locomotive powered by electricity from overhead lines, a third rail or on-board energy storage such as a Battery (electricity), battery or a supercapacitor. Locomotives with on-board fuelled prime mover (locomotive), ...
sheds and four
diesel locomotive
A diesel locomotive is a type of railway locomotive in which the prime mover (locomotive), power source is a diesel engine. Several types of diesel locomotives have been developed, differing mainly in the means by which mechanical power is con ...
sheds.
Maintenance and workshops
Southern Railway maintains wagon and locomotive workshops at
Perambur, Chennai and
Ponmalai, Tiruchirapalli, engineering workshop at
Arakkonam
Arakkonam () is a railway town in the Ranipet district, state of Tamil Nadu. Included within the Chennai metropolitan area, Chennai Metropolitan Area since 2022, Arakkonam is a major suburb of the state capital city Chennai, with a population ...
, carriage maintenance workshops at
Basin Bridge
Basin Bridge Junction is a station on the Chennai Suburban Railway and serves the locality of Pulianthope & Moolakothalam, the confluence on the Otteri Nullah and Buckingham Canal, in Chennai, India. The station is located at the souther ...
and
Egmore
Egmore is a neighbourhood of Chennai, India. Situated on the northern banks of the Coovum River, Egmore is an important residential area as well as a commercial and transportation hub. The Egmore Railway Station was the main terminus of the ...
and a signal and telecommunication workshop at
Podanur
Podanur or Pothanoor or Pothanur (''Pōttaṉūr'') is a neighbourhood in the city of Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu, India. Its history goes back to the creation of a major railway station and colony during British rule. The station was a major hu ...
,
Coimbatore
Coimbatore (Tamil: kōyamputtūr, ), also known as Kovai (), is one of the major Metropolitan cities of India, metropolitan cities in the States and union territories of India, Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is located on the banks of the Noyy ...
. It has three
EMU
The emu (; ''Dromaius novaehollandiae'') is a species of flightless bird endemism, endemic to Australia, where it is the Tallest extant birds, tallest native bird. It is the only extant taxon, extant member of the genus ''Dromaius'' and the ...
car sheds in Chennai at
Avadi
Avadi () is a city Located within the Chennai metropolitan area, Its the headquarters of Avadi Police, Avadi City Police, Avadi City Municipal Corporation, Avadi City Corporation and Avadi taluk, Avadi Taluk located within the Thiruvallur dist ...
,
Tambaram
Tambaram is a city located within the Chennai Metropolitan Area in the Indian State of Tamil Nadu. The city is governed by Tambaram City Municipal Corporation.
Etymology
Tambaram is an ancient town referred to as Taamapuram in an inscrip ...
,
Velachery
Velachery is a neighborhood of Chennai. It is located in the southern part of the Chennai city sharing borders with Guindy in the north, Taramani in the east, Perungudi in the south-east, Pallikaranai wetland, Pallikaranai in the south, Madipa ...
and MEMU sheds at
Kollam
Kollam (;), is an ancient seaport and the List of cities and towns in Kerala, fourth largest city in the Indian state of Kerala. Located on the southern tip of the Malabar Coast of the Arabian Sea, the city is on the banks of Ashtamudi Lake ...
and
Palakkad
Palakkad (), Renaming of cities in India, also known as Palghat, historically known as Palakkattussery, is a city and a municipality in the States and union territories of India, Indian state of Kerala. It is the administrative headquarters of P ...
. Southern Railway maintains trip sheds at
Basin Bridge
Basin Bridge Junction is a station on the Chennai Suburban Railway and serves the locality of Pulianthope & Moolakothalam, the confluence on the Otteri Nullah and Buckingham Canal, in Chennai, India. The station is located at the souther ...
,
Egmore
Egmore is a neighbourhood of Chennai, India. Situated on the northern banks of the Coovum River, Egmore is an important residential area as well as a commercial and transportation hub. The Egmore Railway Station was the main terminus of the ...
,
Tondiarpet
Tondiarpet is a northern neighbourhood of Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India.
Etymology
This area got its name from a famous nineteenth-century Muslim Saint Kunangudi Masthan Sahib. His birthplace is located near Thondi in Ramanathapuram District. Th ...
and
Jolarpettai
Jolarpettai is a Municipality in Tirupattur district, Tamil Nadu, India. It is a commuter rail hub in Southern Railway (India), Southern Railway, which is one of the largest Railway Junction in Tamil nadu. It is 7 km from district headqua ...
.
Southern Railway operated ticket printing presses at
Royapuram
Royapuram is a locality in the northern part of the city of Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. It is best known for its beach, and for Royapuram Railway Station. The station is the first railway station of South India, opening in 1856, and is today ...
,
Thiruvananthapuram
Thiruvananthapuram ( ), also known as Trivandrum, is the Capital city, capital city of the Indian state of Kerala. As of 2011, the Thiruvananthapuram Municipal Corporation had a population of 957,730 over an area of 214.86 sq. km, making it the ...
and
Tiruchirappalli
Tiruchirappalli (), also known as Trichy, is a major tier II city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and the administrative headquarters of Tiruchirappalli district. The city is credited with being the best livable and the cleanest city of T ...
, but these have been phased out due to
digitization
Digitization is the process of converting information into a digital (i.e. computer-readable) format.Collins Dictionary. (n.d.). Definition of 'digitize'. Retrieved December 15, 2021, from https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/ ...
.
Railway coaches and wagons
Southern Railways uses both
ICF coach
The Integral Coach Factory (ICF) coach is a conventional Passenger railroad car, passenger coach used on the majority of Indian Railways (IR) lines. Between 1955 and 2018, more than 54,000 were produced and some were exported to other countries ...
es and
LHB coach
Linke-Hofmann-Busch (LHB) coach is a passenger coach of Indian Railways that is developed by Linke-Hofmann-Busch of Germany and produced by rail coach manufacturing units at Kapurthala, Chennai and Raebareli. They have been used since 2000 on ...
es for its trains. ICF coaches manufactured by the
Integral Coach Factory
Integral Coach Factory (ICF) is an Indian manufacturer of rolling stock, and electrical multiple units. Established in 1955, it is located in Perambur in Chennai and is the largest rail coach manufacturer in the world. It is owned and operated ...
in
Chennai
Chennai, also known as Madras (List of renamed places in India#Tamil Nadu, its official name until 1996), is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Tamil Nadu by population, largest city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost states and ...
have been used predominantly for over sixty years since the formation of the zone in 1951. The ICF coaches are slowly being replaced by newer
LHB rakes which provide better passenger comfort and safety.
Railway lines
Following are the list of railway lines operational.

Defunct railway lines include
Kundala Valley Railway
Kundala Valley Railway was the first monorail system in India, later converted to a narrow-gauge railway, that operated between Kundala Valley in Munnar, Idukki district of Kerala and Top Station in Theni district of Tamil Nadu, India. The ...
s,
Kochin Tramways,
Madras Tramways,
Tiruchendur
Tiruchendur (Tamil language, Tamil: ''Tiruccentūr'' �t̪iɾɯtːʃen̪d̪uːr also ''jayantipuram'') is a municipality in Thoothukudi district, Tamil Nadu, India. It is home to the Arulmigu Subramaniya Swamy Temple, Tiruchendur, Arulmigu ...
Light Railway,
Dharmapuri
Dharmapuri is a city in the north western part of Tamil Nadu, India. It serves as the administrative headquarters of Dharmapuri district which is the first district created in Tamil Nadu after the independence of India by splitting it from ...
and
Krishnagiri
Krishnagiri () is a city in the state of Tamil Nadu, India, and it serves as the administrative headquarters of Krishnagiri District formed in 2004. It is located at the bottom of Krishnadevaraya Hills, and the town is fully surrounded by hill r ...
famine light railways, Kodaikanal Light Railway.
Trains
Southern Railways operates 41 sets of
express train
An express train is a type of passenger train that makes few or no stops between its origin and destination stations, usually major destinations, providing faster service than local trains that stop at many or all of the stations along their ...
s and 97 sets of
superfast trains. The superfast trains include:
Vande Bharat Express
Vande Bharat Express is a medium to long-distance Higher-speed rail (Indian English: Semi-High Speed) Express trains in India#Superfast, Express train service. It is a Indian Railways#Ticketing and fares, reserved, air-conditioned chair car se ...
(8),
Shatabdi Express
Shatabdi Express () are a series of fast passenger trains operated by Indian Railways. Shatabdi Express are day trains and mostly return to their origin station the same day. The trains run at a maximum permissible speed of depending on the ...
(2),
Garib Rath Express
The Garib Rath (lit. Poor Chariot) trains are a series of No frills, no-frills trains operated by Indian Railways to provide air-conditioned train travel at a cheaper rate compared to regular trains. Garib Rath Express trains primarily operate ...
(2),
Duronto Express
Duronto Express, translating to "restless" in Bengali, is a class of long-distance rapid trains operated by Indian Railways. Initially conceived to operate non-stop between origin and destination stations, since January 2016, these trains hav ...
(1),
Jan Shatabdi Express
The Jan Shatabdi Express () is a more affordable and economical version of the Shatabdi Express''.'' The word 'Jan' refers to common people. Being an economical version of the Shatabdi Express, it provides the passenger with Air Conditioned Cha ...
(4),
Sampark Kranti Express
Sampark Kranti Express trains are a series of Superfast Express trains in India, Superfast express trains operated by the Indian Railways providing quick connectivity to the national capital, New Delhi.
Overview
The words ''Sampark'' and ''K ...
(1),
Anuvrat Express (1),
Humsafar Express
Humsafar Express is a fully premium service with AC-3 Tier and Sleeper class accommodation having all the modern facilities designed and operated by Indian Railways. "Humsafar" is an Urdu word meaning "co-passenger" The first service was inaugu ...
(1),
Tejas Express
The Tejas Express is a semi-high speed fully air-conditioned train introduced by Indian Railways. It features modern onboard facilities with doors which are operated automatically. Tejas means "sharpness", "lustre", or "brilliance" in many I ...
(1),
Uday Express
UDAY Express or Utkrisht Double Decker Air Conditioned Yatri Express are completely Double-Decker AC chair car trains designed by RDSO. The coaches of the train have an anti-graffiti vinyl wrapped exterior and have been given a bright color sch ...
(1),
Antyodaya Express
Antyodaya Express are a series of Economic Unreserved Superfast Express trains operated by Indian Railways. The trains were proposed to be overnight unreserved trains in the 2016 Railway budget of India. Antyodaya refers to the Rise of dusk in ...
(2) and
Double Decker Express
Double Decker Express are a series of trains started by Indian Railways for shorter routes in order to serve more people than a traditional chair car carriage.
The Howrah–Dhanbad Double Decker Express was the first of its type to be introduce ...
(1). Apart from this, it operates various
Passenger train
A passenger train is a train used to transport people along a railroad line, as opposed to a freight train that carries goods. These trains may consist of unpowered passenger railroad cars (also known as coaches or carriages) push-pull train, ...
s,
DEMU
A diesel multiple unit or DMU is a multiple-unit train powered by on-board diesel engines. A DMU requires no separate locomotive, as the engines are incorporated into one or more of the carriages. Diesel-powered single-unit railcars are also ...
,
EMU
The emu (; ''Dromaius novaehollandiae'') is a species of flightless bird endemism, endemic to Australia, where it is the Tallest extant birds, tallest native bird. It is the only extant taxon, extant member of the genus ''Dromaius'' and the ...
services,
Chennai Suburban
The Chennai Suburban Railway is a commuter rail system in the city of Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India, operated by the Southern Railways branch of Indian Railways. It is India's second largest suburban rail network in terms of route length and the ...
and the Nilgiri Mountain Railway.
Stations
There are about 727 stations on the Southern railway network including 486 non suburban stations, 74 suburban stations and 166 halt stations. The major and highest revenue earning stations are
Chennai Central
Chennai Central (officially Puratchi Thalaivar Dr. M.G. Ramachandran Central Railway Station, formerly Madras Central) (station code: MAS), is an NSG–1 category Indian railway station in Chennai railway division of Southern Railway zone ...
,
Chennai Egmore
Chennai Egmore (formerly: Madras Egmore, also known as Chennai Elumbur)(station code: MS), is an NSG–1 category Indian railway station in Chennai railway division of Southern Railway zone. Situated in the neighborhood of Egmore, it is one ...
,
Coimbatore Junction
Coimbatore Junction railway station (station code: CBE) is a List of railway stations in India, railway station located in Coimbatore in the States and union territories of India, Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is the major rail-head in the city ...
,
Thiruvananthapuram Central
Thiruvananthapuram Central (station code: TVC,) is an NSG–2 category railway station in Thiruvananthapuram railway division of Southern Railway zone. It is a major railway station that serves the city of Thiruvananthapuram, the capital of ...
,
Tambaram
Tambaram is a city located within the Chennai Metropolitan Area in the Indian State of Tamil Nadu. The city is governed by Tambaram City Municipal Corporation.
Etymology
Tambaram is an ancient town referred to as Taamapuram in an inscrip ...
,
Ernakulam Junction
Ernakulam Junction railway station (also known as Ernakulam South, station code: ERS) is an NSG–2 category List of railway stations in India, Indian railway station in Thiruvananthapuram railway division of Southern Railway zone. It is the m ...
,
Madurai Junction
Madurai Junction railway station (station code: MDU) is an NSG-2 category Indian railway station in Madurai railway division of Southern Railway zone. It serves the city of Madurai, located in Madurai district of the Indian state of Tam ...
and
Tiruchirappalli
Tiruchirappalli (), also known as Trichy, is a major tier II city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and the administrative headquarters of Tiruchirappalli district. The city is credited with being the best livable and the cleanest city of T ...
.
Chennai Suburban

Chennai Suburban Railway is the
commuter rail
Commuter rail or suburban rail is a Passenger train, passenger rail service that primarily operates within a metropolitan area, connecting Commuting, commuters to a Central business district, central city from adjacent suburbs or commuter town ...
system in the city of
Chennai
Chennai, also known as Madras (List of renamed places in India#Tamil Nadu, its official name until 1996), is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Tamil Nadu by population, largest city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost states and ...
, operated by the Southern Railways. The system operates four lines with a track length of , of which are dedicated dual tracks for EMUs.
Nilgiri Mountain Railway

Nilgiri Mountain Railway is a railway in
Nilgiris district
The Nīlgiris district is one of the 38 List of districts of Tamil Nadu, districts in the South India, southern Indian States and union territories of India, state of Tamil Nadu. Nilgiri () is the name given to a range of mountains spread acro ...
connecting
Mettupalayam and
Udagamandalam
Ooty (; officially Udagamandalam (), anglicized: Ootacamund , abbreviated as Udagai, ) is a town and municipality in the Nilgiris district of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is located northwest of Coimbatore, and is the headquarters of N ...
. It was built during the
British Raj
The British Raj ( ; from Hindustani language, Hindustani , 'reign', 'rule' or 'government') was the colonial rule of the British The Crown, Crown on the Indian subcontinent,
*
* lasting from 1858 to 1947.
*
* It is also called Crown rule ...
in 1908 and is currently operated by the Southern Railways.
It is the only
rack railway
A rack railway (also rack-and-pinion railway, cog railway, or cogwheel railway) is a steep grade railway with a toothed rack rail, usually between the running rails. The trains are fitted with one or more cog wheels or pinions that mesh with ...
in India and operates on its own fleet of
steam locomotive
A steam locomotive is a locomotive that provides the force to move itself and other vehicles by means of the expansion of steam. It is fuelled by burning combustible material (usually coal, Fuel oil, oil or, rarely, Wood fuel, wood) to heat ...
s between
Coonoor
Coonoor (), is a taluk and a municipal town of the Nilgiris district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. As of 2011, the town had a population of 45,494. The town sits at the south-east corner of the Nilgiri plateau, and at the head of the Coonoo ...
and Udhagamandalam.
In July 2005,
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...
added the Nilgiri Mountain Railway as an extension to the
World Heritage Site
World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an treaty, international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural ...
of
Mountain Railways of India
The Mountain railways of India are the railway lines that were built in the mountainous regions of India. The term mainly includes the narrow-gauge railways in these regions but may also include some broad-gauge railways.
Three of the lines, th ...
.
See also
*
Zones and divisions of Indian Railways
Indian Railways is a statutory body under the ownership of the Ministry of Railways (India), Ministry of Railways of the Government of India that operates India's national railway system. It is headed by a Railway Board whose Chairperson of the Rai ...
*
All India Station Masters' Association (AISMA)
References
External links
Southern Railways System MapSouthern Railway official website
{{Railways in Southern India
1951 establishments in Madras State
Zones of Indian Railways
*