Anantapuri Express

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]

• 16723 – Starts from Chennai Egmore daily at 20:10 IST and reaches Kollam Junction next day at 13:30 IST
• 16724 – Leaves Kollam Junction every day at 15:00 IST and reaches Chennai Egmore next day morning 08:10 IST

The train consists of 23 coaches as follows:

• 1 AC First cum AC 2 Tier

• 1 AC II Tier
• 3 AC III Tier
• 12 Sleeper class
• 4 General Unreserved
• 2 Seating cum Luggage Rake

The engine of 16723 Express caught fire at Kollam Junction on 16 July 2018.[6]

• Chennai Egmore–Kollam Junction Express
• Guruvayur Express
• Kollam–Visakhapatnam Express
• Silambu Express
• Pothigai Express