Madurai to Rameshwaram Bus Service

[Wrangler]

My grandparents are interested to go for a religious trip to Madurai and Rameshwaram. We are based in Chennai and plan to use public transport for this trip.

We have booked train tickets for Chennai to Madurai journey on Kanyakumari SuperFast Express (Train #12633). The return tickets from Rameshwaram to Chennai are also confirmed on Sethu Express (Train #16714). But we could not get confirmed train bookings from Madurai to Rameshwaram.

There are passenger trains between Madurai and Rameshwaram, but those only have unreserved compartments. I have heard that the trains from are usually jam-packed. My grandparents are quite aged now and travelling in unreserved compartments is out of question.

So I was searching for information on Madurai to Rameshwaram bus service. How long does the bus journey take and will it be suitable for elderly people? I am looking for a comfortable bus journey, and wondering if there is any Volvo bus service between Madurai and Rameshwaram?

Please let me know any information that you might have on Madurai to Rameshwaram bus service. Thanks much.

 

[Debapriya Deb]

There are lots of buses that ply from Madurai to Rameshwaram on a daily basis. You can board Rameshwaram bound buses from the Maatuthaavani Bus Stand at Madurai. The frequency is on the higher side and you can find atleast 1 bus in every 30 minutes. The distance is just around 170 KM and the duration of the journey is about 4 hours.

TNSTC is the only bus operator in Madurai-Rameshwaram route. There are Ordinary and Express buses. The level of comfort is more or less the same, the only advantage of Express bus is that the journey is non-stop, whereas the Ordinary buses stop at different places en-route.

There is no direct Volvo bus service from Madurai to Rameshwaram. The distance is too short to operate Volvo buses and earn a profit, so there is no bus operator who is interested to introduce a Volvo bus between Madurai and Rameshwaram.

However, if you are keen on travelling in a Volvo bus, then you can contact private operators like SRS Travels and KPN Travels who ply Volvo buses between Bangalore and Rameshwaram. Most of the Rameshwaram-bound buses from Bangalore go via Madurai and often there are a few vacant seats. Check with SRS or KPN counters at Madurai and they can tell you more about the bus timings. If that doesn't work out, then the only option for you is to avail the TNSTC buses.

If budget is not a concern, then I would suggest you to hire a taxi instead. Madurai to Rameshwaram by taxi would cost you around INR 2500 at the max and you can be assured of a comfortable ride.

Regards,
Deb