The Chennai Beach railway station has secured the first place by registering a footfall of 8.15 crore passengers among the suburban railway stations in and around the city to stamp the authority as the nodal transport hub for suburban commuters. 

The Beach station is from where suburban trains are operated to all the four sections including Chengalpattu via Tambaram and the Mass Rapid Transit system (MRTS) train services to St. Thomas Mount station via Velachery. 

The Southern Railway provided the data through the Right to Information Act of 2005 to K. Bhaskar. The Dr. MGR Chennai Central station stands first in the list of railway stations hosting mail and express trains with a footfall of 7.22 crore, acccording to the data compiled from 157 railway stations for the financial year 2025-26.

The combined footfall by including the Moore market complex (MMC) from where suburban trains on the west and north sections are operated, the Central station stands at 8.45 crore of passengers. 

The Tambaram railway station being established as the third railway terminal has attracted footfall of 6.11 crore, while the Egmore railway station registered a footfall of 4.13 crore, which is the second railway terminal in the city and where several trains bound for southern districts are operated.

The Guindy railway station, being the multi modal transport hub of metro and bus facilities, recorded footfall of 2.53 crore commuters on the south section. The Velachery railway station from where MRTS services were operated to Beach clocked 2.13 crore commuters. The MRTS services has been extended to St. Thomas Mount from March 14 this year. 

On the west section, the Tiruvallur railway station, an important railway station for those proceeding to the city from the district headquarters, clocked 2.74 crore commuters. 

Mr. Bhaskar, a former member of the Divisional Railway Users Consultative Committee, wanted the railway officials to speed up the renovation work being carried out under the Amrit Bharat station scheme (ABSS). He also wanted long distance trains, including Brindavan express, to be given stoppages as residents from Tiruvallur and nearby areas have to proceed all the way Central station to board the mail and express trains.