How A Daily Train From Tambaram Will End Rameswaram Station’s Two-Year Wait
Train connectivity to the island was discontinued from the rest of the country as the Old Pamban Bridge was decommissioned
Rameswaram, unlike the other stations of Indian Railways, was quiet for more than two years, with passengers expecting no trains. However, the fate of the station will change now with a new daily train from Tambaram in Chennai.
The last time a train reached and came out of the Rameswaram station in Tamil Nadu was in December 2022. But everything changed after the train connectivity to the island was discontinued from the rest of the country as the Old Pamban Bridge was decommissioned.
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On Sunday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the new Pamban bridge and also a new daily train between Rameswaram and Tambaram.
The new daily express train service will leave Tambaram at 6.10pm daily from Sunday and reach Rameswaram at 5.40am the next day. In the return journey, the train will start from Rameswaram at 4pm daily from Sunday and reach Tambaram in Chennai at 3.45am the next day. The train will take around 11 hours and 30 minutes to complete the journey from both ends. Advance reservation for the trains opened at 8am on Saturday.
The train has one AC two-tier coach, five AC three-tier coaches, and six sleeper-class coaches. There are four general second-class coaches and one Divyangjan-friendly second-class coach apart from one luggage-cum-brake van.
The Rameswaram–Tambaram Express will also connect Ramanathapuram, Paramakudi, Manamadurai, Sivaganga, Karaikudi, Aranthangi, Pattukkottai, Thiruthuraipoondi, Tiruvarur, Mayiladuthurai, Chidambaram, Tiruppadiripuliyur, Villupuram, and Chengalpattu. This route, the Railways said, will enhance accessibility between southern and northern Tamil Nadu, catering to pilgrims, tourists, and daily commuters.
Rameswaram, a town on Pamban Island, is home to Ramanathaswamy Temple—one among the four Char Dham pilgrimage sites. It is also one of the 12 Jyotirlingas. Apart from this, Rameswaram is the hometown of former President late APJ Abdul Kalam and is visited by millions of tourists every year.
After the decommissioning of the old Pamban Bridge in December 2022, train operations are allowed only up to Mandapam, nearly 20 kilometres from Rameswaram.
Lack of direct trains from major cities was making it difficult for tourists and pilgrims to reach the temple town. They either had to opt for road commute from Madurai or from Mandapam.
A direct train journey from Chennai will now allow commuters to reach Rameswaram through train without opting for another mode of travel.
When it was operational last, the Rameswaram Railway Station would have around 20 trains daily and deal with more than 9,000 passengers every day on an average.
In January, News18 visited the station that was under redevelopment. The Southern Railways had awarded the work of redevelopment in September 2022 on EPC mode. The firm was given 18 months to complete the project at a cost of Rs 95 crore.
The station has two entries, one each at the eastern and northern sides. The architecture of the terminals reflects contemporary adaptation of the traditional temple architecture of the Rameswaram temple.
Slowly, as soon as train operations are allowed on the Bay of Bengal through the new Pamban Bridge, the Rameswaram station will get re-connected through trains with major cities in India.
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