Commuters welcome the introduction of AC suburban trains in Arakkonam

Railway officials said the new A/C suburban trains will run only on weekdays. File | Photo credit: M. SRINATH

Commuters have welcomed the introduction of air-conditioned suburban trains between Chennai Central and Arakkonam railway stations from October 23 (Friday) in a trial run.

Commuters said many office-goers, including those working in government departments and private companies in Chennai, board suburban trains at Arakkonam railway station. It helps them commute faster and on time.

“The Arakkonam Suburban Express takes about two hours on an average to reach Arakkonam from Chennai Central Railway Station with a limited stop,” said G. Vignesh, a commuter.

Commuters said Arakkonam and surrounding areas witness extreme heat in summer. Traveling for such a long time in suburban trains has an impact on the health of women and the elderly in particular. A new air-conditioned commuter train will help elderly commuters travel comfortably.

Railway officials said that currently around 45,000 commuters on an average board trains at Arakkonam station every day. Footfalls increase during holidays and festival seasons. More suburban train services will help counter the onslaught of commuters.

As per the plan, a new 12-car air-conditioned suburban train will be operated from platform 1 at Arakkonam station to take suburban commuters to Chennai on Friday. Railway officials said the train will run only on weekdays. The first service will leave Avadi at 6:30 AM and reach Arakkonam at 7:45 AM

At Arakkonam, the train will depart from Arakkonam at 8:00 AM and reach Chennai Central at 9:30 AM.

The train will again leave Chennai Central at 9:40 AM and reach Avadi at 10:25 AM. The train stops at all stations. In the evening, the train will depart from Arakkonam at 20:10 and reach Avadi at 21:10 where the train will be stopped at the track.

Published – 22 Oct 2026 19:13 IST