Chennai’s western suburban rail section will get air-conditioned train services from Friday, as the Chennai Division of Southern Railway begins a 30-day trial covering Moore Market Complex, Avadi, Tiruvallur and Arakkonam. The weekday-only service will introduce the second AC suburban electric multiple unit in the city’s rail network.
The service will operate on the western section after Southern Railway reported a good response to the AC suburban trains already running between Chennai Beach and Chengalpattu through Tambaram. The new trial is intended to extend the air-conditioned commuter option to passengers travelling towards Avadi, Tiruvallur and Arakkonam.
A senior Southern Railway official said the first train in the morning would leave Avadi for Arakkonam at 6.30 a.m. It would then run from Arakkonam to Moore Market Complex at 8 a.m., followed by a service from Moore Market Complex to Avadi at 9.45 a.m.
The evening schedule will begin with a train from Avadi to Moore Market Complex at 5.25 p.m. A service will then run from Moore Market Complex to Arakkonam at 6.30 p.m., followed by a train from Arakkonam to Avadi at 8.10 p.m. The trains will operate only on weekdays during the trial period.
The western suburban corridor serves commuters travelling between central Chennai and the city’s outer northern and western areas. The introduction of AC services on this section gives passengers an additional rail option during selected morning and evening trips, although the limited weekday timetable means the service will not cover all daily travel windows.
Southern Railway has not provided, in the announcement, a separate fare structure for the western-section AC services. Fares reported for the existing Chennai Beach–Tambaram–Chengalpattu AC service include a minimum fare of ₹35, ₹85 for travel from Chennai Beach to Tambaram and ₹105 to Chengalpattu. The applicable fares for the new routes were not specified in the available details.
The trial will allow the railway division to assess the response to AC travel on a corridor that includes Avadi, Tiruvallur and Arakkonam. The immediate operational test will involve the six announced trips across the morning and evening sessions, with the railway’s next steps expected to depend on the service’s performance during the 30-day trial.
