Chennai Central–Bangalore City line

Chennai Central–Bangalore City line
Top to bottom: The termini, Chennai Central and Bangalore City stations
Overview
Status	Operational
Owner	Indian Railways
Locale	Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka
Termini	Chennai Central Bangalore City
Service
Operator(s)	Southern Railway South Western Railway
Depot(s)	Arakkonam Krishnarajapuram Royapuram
Rolling stock	WAP-1, WAP-4, WAP-5, WAP-7, WAG-7, WAG-9 electric locos; WDS-6, WDM-2, WDM-3A, WDP-4, WDG-3A, WDG-4 and WDS-4 diesel locos
History
Opened	1864; 160 years ago (1864)
Technical
Track length	Main line: 358 km (222 mi) Branch lines: Bangarpet-Baiyappanhalli 166 km (103 mi) Bangalore City-Kengeri 9 km (5.6 mi) Bangarpet-Marikuppam 16 km (9.9 mi)
Track gauge	5 ft 6 in (1,676 mm) broad gauge
Electrification	Yes
Operating speed	Up to 110 km/h
Highest elevation	Bangalore City 903 m (2,963 ft)
Route map Legend km 0 Chennai Central to Chennai Egmore- Thanjavur main line 2 Basin Bridge Chennai diamond junction to Gudur– Chennai section 3 Vyasarpadi Jeeva 4 Vyasarpadi 5 Perambur 6 Perambur Carriage Works 8 Perambur Loco Works Integral Coach Factory 9 Villivakkam 12 Korattur 14 Pattaravakkam 16 Ambattur 17 Thirumullaivoyal 18 Annanur 21 Avadi 24 Hindu College 25 Pattabiram Heavy Vehicles Factory 26 Pattabiram West 27 Nemilichery Halt 29 Thiruninravur Tata Steel Yard 32 Veppampattu 36 Sevvapet Road 39 Puttlur Halt 42 Tiruvallur State Highway 50 45 Eggatur Halt 47 Kadambattur 50 Senji Pannambakkam 53 Manavur 58 Tiruvalangadu 61 Mosur 63 Pulliyamangalam to Arakkonam–Chengalpattu branch line Arakkonam NAS 69 Arakkonam Junction to Guntakal–Chennai Egmore section 70 Melapakkam Ultratech Cement 78 Chitteri 80 Anavardikhanpet 87 Mahendra Vadi State Highway 128 Mahendra Vadi Quarry 90 Sholinghur 98 Thalangai 100 Marudalam State Highway 61 105 Wallajah Road 113 Mukundarayapuram NH 4 Ponnai River 118 Tiruvalem State Highway 59 128 Sevur State Highway 9/83 to Dharmavaram Junction 129 Katpadi Junction to Puducherry 137 Latteri 142 Virinchipuram 148 Kayanur 154 Guriyapattam State Highway 127 159 Melalathur 164 Valathoor 170 Melpatti Palar River 176 Pachachakupam 182 Ambur 190 Vinnamangalam NH 46 198 Vaniyambadi 206 Kettandapatti 213 Jolarpettai Junction to Jolarpettai– Shoranur line 222 Somanayyakanpatti NH 46 230 Patchur km 235 Kotturu Tamil Nadu Andhra Pradesh border Malanur 241 State Highway 219 16 Marikuppam Kuppam 254 14 Champion Gudupalli 264 12 Ooragaum Bisanattam 269 State Highway 96 Andhra Pradesh Karnataka border 9 Coromandel Kamasamudram 276 BEML Limited Varadapur 283 7 BEML Nagar Bangarapet Junction 288 0 0 to Kadapa– Bangalore section State Highway 95 State Highway 95 State Highway 96 NH 4 17 Kolar Kolar-Chik Ballapur Road Maralahalli 296 State Highway 5 29 Jangatta Halt Lake Maduvadi Kare Tayakal 300 33 Gottihalli Halt 38 Dalasanur Halt 46 Srinivasapura Halt Bytrayanhalli 309 NH 234 56 Dodaanatta Halt State Highway 82 Malur 315 67 Chintamani NH 234 79 Husenahalli Halt State Highway 117 88 Sidlagatta 95 Gidanahalli Halt 104 Chik Ballapur Devangonthi 327 110 Nandi Halt 117 Venkatagiri Kote Halt 120 Avatihalli Whitefield 335 NH 7 126 Devanahalli Kempegowda International Airport Whitefield Satellite 337 138 Dodjala 142 Bettahalsoor to Guntakal– Bangalore section Krishnarajapuram 344 150 Yelahanka to Yesvantpur NH 7 Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. State Highway 104 150 Yelahanka 157 Thanisandra 163 Channasandra Jolarpettai– Shoranur line Bangalore East 351 Bangalore Cantt 353 to Bangalore–Arsikere– Hubli line Bangalore City 358 to Mysore Junction km km Sources: Google maps 12639 Brindavan Express 76551 KSR Bengaluru–Kolar DEMU (via Chik Ballapur) 76501 Bangarpet–Kolar railbus 56505 Bangarpet–Marikuppam Passenger

The Chennai Central – Bangalore City line is an electrified railway double line which connects the cities of Chennai and Bengaluru in South India.

The first train service in southern India and the third in India was operated by Madras Railway from Royapuram / Veyasarapady to Wallajah Road (Arcot) in 1856. Madras Railway extended its trunk route to Beypur / Kadalundi (near Calicut) in 1861. Madras Railway connected Bangalore Cantonment to Jolarpettai on the newly constructed Beypur line in 1864. Bangalore Mail started running the same year.^[1] Bangalore City was linked to Bangalore Cantonment in 1882.^[2] The 1,676 mm (5 ft 6 in)-wide 5 ft 6 in (1,676 mm) broad gauge Bangarpet-Marikuppam line came up in 1894.^[3] The 2 ft 6 in (762 mm)-wide narrow-gauge line between Bowringpet (later Bangarpet) and Kolar was opened in 1913 by Mysore State Railway. The narrow-gauge Yeshvantapur–Yelahanka–Devanahalli–Chikkaballapur–Kolar line was opened in 1915 and was linked to Bangalore in 1918.^[4] With the completion of the gauge conversion to broad gauge of the Chikballapur-Kolar section in November 2013, the entire Bangalore–Kolar section was ready for direct broad gauge trains.^[5][6] Gauge conversion of the Bangarpet–Kolar line was completed in 1997 and a Railbus service was operating since then, till 11 September 2016 when Railbus got replaced by an eight-bogie diesel–electric multiple unit (DEMU).^[7][8]

The Chennai–Tiruvallur sector was electrified in 1979–80, the Tiruvallur–Arakkonam–Chitteri sector in 1982–83, the Chitteri–Walajah Road (excl) sector in 1983–84, the Walajah Road–Katpadi sector in 1984–85, the Katpadi–Jolarpettai sector in 1985–86, the Jolarpettai–Mulanur sector in 1990–91, the Mulanur–Bangarpet–Bangalore City sector in 1991–92.^[9]

In the early 1950s legislation was passed authorizing the central government to take over independent railway systems that were there. On 14 April 1951 the Madras and Southern Mahratta Railway, the South Indian Railway Company and Mysore State Railway were merged to form Southern Railway. Subsequently, Nizam's Guaranteed State Railway was also merged into Southern Railway. On 2 October 1966, the Secunderabad, Solapur, Hubli and Vijayawada Divisions, covering the former territories of Nizam's Guaranteed State Railway and certain portions of Madras and Southern Mahratta Railway were separated from Southern Railway to form the South Central Railway. In 1977, Guntakal division of Southern Railway was transferred to South Central Railway and the Solapur division transferred to Central Railway. Amongst the seven new zones created in 2003 was South Western Railway, which was carved out of Southern Railway and South Central railway.^[10]

EMU trains are operated between Puratchi Thalaivar Dr. M.G. Ramachandran Central railway station and Arakkonam Junction via West Line. It covers the distance of 68 km (42 mi) with 27 halts in a scheduled time of 1 hour 50 mins.^[11] As of 2005, 200,000 passengers daily used the EMU services in this sector.^[12]

Chennai Central–Arakkonam–Jolarpettai–Bangalore City is classified as a "Group B" line and can take speeds up to 110 km/h.^[13]

Arakkonam earlier had a steam loco shed, and now has an electric loco shed that holds 162 locomotives as of February 2024, which include WAP-4, WAG-5 and WAG-9 locomotives.^[14]

Krishnarajapuram diesel loco and electric loco shed, opened in 1983, holds 258 locomotives as of February 2024. These include: WDS-6, WDM-3D, WDM-3A, WDP-4, WDG-3A, WDG-4, WAP-7 and WAG-9 locomotives.^[15] Currently, the shed gets direct allotment of new WAP-7 and WAG-9 locomotives from CLW, BLW and PLW.^[16]

Jolarpettai has an electric/ diesel trip shed.^[16]

The Carriage and Wagon Workshops at Perambur repairs coaches and wagons. The Locomotive Workshops at Perambur was the premier broad-gauge steam loco repair shop in the south. Even now, the workshop performs the annual overhaul of the Fairy Queen. The workshop now primarily handles the repair and maintenance of electric locomotives from all over the south and even beyond.^[16]

Basin Bridge has a carriage maintenance works. Avadi has a broad-gauge EMU maintenance and car shed. Arakkonam has engineering workshops.^[16]

Chennai Central, Katpadi Junction and Bangalore City, on this line, are amongst the top hundred booking stations of Indian Railway.^[17]