Tambaram Railway Station has emerged as Chennai’s busiest major terminal by reported passenger volume, but its growing use continues to outpace basic access infrastructure, according to a report by DT Next. The station’s redevelopment under the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme is still awaiting design approval, while passengers continue to face limited entry, exit and interchange facilities.
DT Next reported that Tambaram recorded annual footfall of around 6.11 crore in 2025–26 and overtook Chennai Central in originating passenger numbers. However, the same report separately cites 3.64 crore originating passengers for the station. The difference between the two figures is material, and the passenger-volume comparison requires confirmation from Southern Railway or official station records before publication as an established fact.
The report identifies Tambaram as an NSG–1 category station in the Southern Railway zone, with average daily passenger footfall exceeding 1.5 lakh. Its passenger-related earnings rose from Rs 100 crore in 2021–22 to Rs 184 crore in 2024–25, up to February, according to the report. These figures indicate sustained operational and commercial importance for a terminal serving the southern suburbs of Chennai.
The infrastructure limitations are most visible around passenger movement. A new foot overbridge has been constructed, but the surrounding access infrastructure required to connect it with nearby streets has not been completed. Commuter Siva Shankar told DT Next that the station was operating with a single foot overbridge despite its high passenger volume. He also said the new bridge was of limited use without a completed circulating area, and that proper entry and exit points were absent on both the eastern and western sides.
The lack of access for autos and taxis has added to the station’s connectivity problems. Although the foot overbridge is intended to improve movement within the station, the incomplete links to surrounding roads affect how passengers reach the facility after leaving trains or transfer between the station and other modes of transport.
A railway official cited by DT Next said design approval for Tambaram’s redevelopment under the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme had not yet been sanctioned and that the process would take some time. Lift and escalator works are expected to be completed by the end of 2026, according to the official.
The redevelopment has been under discussion for several years. The Rail Land Development Authority called tenders in 2020 to prepare a detailed project report for Tambaram railway station. The tender was initially planned for six months, but comprehensive redevelopment has remained pending, the report said.
Activist Dayanand Krishnan described the station’s upgrades as piecemeal, with works being undertaken incrementally. He said Southern Railway had first built the foot overbridge and introduced lifts, while work on the circulating area and a new eastern-side road access began after concerns were raised about how passengers would reach the facility.
The immediate next steps identified in the report are the completion of the circulating area and eastern road access, the progress of lift and escalator works by the end of 2026, and the approval of the redevelopment design. The reported passenger figures and Tambaram’s comparison with Chennai Central should be reconciled against official railway data before the traffic ranking is treated as conclusive.
