Tambaram

Tambaram railway station (station code: TBM) is an NSG–1 category Indian railway station in Chennai railway division of Southern Railway zone. It is also one of the railway terminals of the Chennai Beach–Tambaram section of the Chennai Suburban Railway Network, situated at a distance of 6 kilometres (3.7 mi) from the centre of Tambaram and 27 kilometres (17 mi) from Chennai Beach station. It is one of the fastest-growing railway hubs outside Chennai Central in the southern direction. Every day, on an average, around 150,000 commuters use the station. About 500 suburban electric trains operate from Tambaram, including those between Chennai Beach and Chengalpattu and Kancheepuram. Further, more than 25 express trains, including those bound for Howrah and other places in the northern India, pass through the town. It is also the third busiest station in the city (after Chennai Central and Chennai Egmore). It is one of the four railway terminals within Chennai City. The daily ticket sales at Tambaram fetch ₹ 1 million, half of which comes from suburban travellers. It is the second most revenue-generating station in Chennai after Moore Market Complex. A total of 52 trains pass through the station. Tambaram Railway Station divides Tambaram into East Tambaram and West Tambaram. It has two entrances, namely, the West Tambaram entrance on the GST Road and the East Tambaram entrance on Velachery Road (opposite MCC College). There are nine platforms in the station. Platforms 1-4 are used for suburban trains between Chengalpattu and Chennai Beach and platforms between 5 and 8 are used by the long-distance express trains and some fast EMU trains between Chennai Beach - Chengalpattu Junction - Arakkonam Junction section. Most of the suburban electric train services originating from Tambaram to Beach and Chengalpattu leave from the first 4 platforms. There is a foot overbridge connecting East and West Tambaram with access to all platforms. In 2008, Southern Railway started building an additional platform at the westernmost side of the railway station, making Platform No.1 a double-discharge platform, a design that helps commuters to alight on either side of the train, similar to the one at Park railway station, where the passengers could alight on the western side for quicker access to Chennai Central.