Ananthapuri Express is an express train running between Kollam Junction and Chennai Egmore via Thiruvananthapuram Central, Nagercoil, Tirunelveli, Madurai, Trichy and Viluppuram through the trunk line and chord lines in southern India. It is a daily overnight service. From Chennai Egmore, train no:16723 departs by 19:50 hours and reaches Kollam Junction at 13:00 hours the next day. The parallel train numbered 16724 starts 15:00 Hours from Kollam and reaches Chennai around 08:05 hours the next day.
![]() Ananthapuri Express just leaving Chengalpet railway station with a WAP-4 in lead | |||||
Overview | |||||
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Service type | Express | ||||
Status | Operating | ||||
Locale | Kerala & Tamil Nadu | ||||
First service | 30 June 2002; 20 years ago (2002-06-30) (initial run between Thiruvananthapuram Central and Chennai Egmore)[1] 1 November 2017; 4 years ago (2017-11-01) (extended to Kollam Junction)[2] | ||||
Current operator(s) | Indian Railways | ||||
Route | |||||
Termini | Kollam Junction (QLN) Chennai Egmore (MS) | ||||
Stops | 31 | ||||
Distance travelled | 859 km (534 mi) | ||||
Average journey time | 17 hours 5 minutes | ||||
Service frequency | Daily | ||||
Train number(s) | 16723/16724 | ||||
On-board services | |||||
Class(es) | AC 1st Class, AC 2 tier, AC 3 tier, 12 Sleeper 3 tier, 4 Unreserved | ||||
Seating arrangements | Chair car & Bench seat | ||||
Sleeping arrangements | Couchette cars | ||||
Catering facilities | No | ||||
Observation facilities | Large windows | ||||
Technical | |||||
Rolling stock | WAP-7, WAP-4 | ||||
Track gauge | 5 ft 6 in (1,676 mm) broad gauge | ||||
Electrification | 25 kV AC 50 Hz | ||||
Operating speed | 50 km/h (31 mph) | ||||
Rake maintenance | Rameswaram | ||||
Rake sharing | Sethu Express | ||||
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The inauguration of this train was on 30 June 2002[1] operating six days a week. Later in 2005 it was made daily train. In the beginning it ran between Chennai Egmore and Thiruvananthapuram Central. It was named Ananthapuri after the city Thiruvananthapuram. In 2017 railway budget, it was extended[2] to Kollam with effect from 1 November 2017.[3][4]
It runs along the Kollam–Thiruvananthapuram trunk line and other chord lines through one among the shortest routes from Kollam to Chennai via Thiruvananthapuram, Nagercoil, Tirunelveli, Virudhunagar, Madurai, Trichy, Viluppuram and Chengalpattu.
Kollam Junction → Paravur → Varkala Sivagiri → Thiruvananthapuram Central → Neyyattinkara → Parassala → Kuzhithurai → Eraniel → Nagercoil Junction → Aralvaimozhi → North Panagudi → Valliyur → Nanguneri → Tirunelveli Junction → Vanchi Maniyachchi Junction → Kadambur → Kovilpatti → Satur → Virudhunagar Junction → Tirumangalam → Madurai Junction → Kodaikanal Road → Dindigul Junction → Tiruchirappalli Junction → Vriddhachalam Junction → Viluppuram Junction → Tindivanam → Melmaruvathur → Maduranthakam → Chengalpattu Junction → Tambaram → Mambalam → Chennai Egmore[5]
The train consists of 23 coaches as follows:
• 1 AC First cum AC 2 Tier
Loco | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 |
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SLR | UR | UR | S1 | S2 | S3 | S4 | S5 | S6 | S7 | S8 | S9 | S10 | S11 | S12 | B3 | B2 | B1 | A1 | HA1 | UR | UR | SLR | |
The engine of 16723 Express caught fire at Kollam Junction on 16 July 2018.[6]
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Kollam | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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