Chennai Egmore Redevelopment: Select Express Trains to Shift to Tambaram from August

As part of the ongoing ₹840-crore redevelopment of Chennai Egmore Railway Station, Southern Railway will operate select express trains bound for southern districts from Tambaram beginning in August. The temporary change has been introduced to facilitate the third phase of redevelopment work while ensuring that suburban electric train services continue without disruption.

The redevelopment project is being executed in five phases and aims to transform Chennai Egmore into a modern, airport-like railway station with world-class passenger amenities. Planned upgrades include modern platforms, spacious passenger waiting halls, new foot overbridges, escalators, lifts, restrooms, commercial spaces, hotels, and improved accessibility.

As part of the third phase, railway authorities are constructing a 120-metre-long and 18-metre-wide iron foot overbridge. Heavy-duty cranes with a lifting capacity of more than 500 metric tonnes are being used to install the massive steel girders required for the structure.

Construction is currently progressing across the first five platforms near Gandhi-Irwin Road on the Tambaram-bound side of the station. Work connecting Platform 6 with Platforms 10 and 11, which serve suburban electric trains, is expected to begin in the coming weeks. To minimise inconvenience to passengers, suburban train operations will be shifted to alternate platforms, including Platforms 5 and 6, during the construction period.

Railway officials clarified that only a limited number of express trains serving southern Tamil Nadu will be shifted to Tambaram, while the majority of long-distance services will continue to originate from Chennai Egmore.

Chennai Divisional Railway Manager Shailendra Singh recently inspected the ongoing construction works and reviewed the progress of the iron foot overbridge project. Senior Southern Railway officials, including Additional Divisional Railway Manager Senthil Kumar, Egmore Station Director Jayakanthan, and engineering officials, also participated in the inspection.