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Overview
The distance between Bangalore and Chennai is about 350 kilometres. Driving this distance can take around 6 hours to 6 hours and 30 minutes. With public transportation, like trains or buses, it can take a bit longer, about 7 hours, more or less. But with trains, there are some trains that have a fewer halts and so reach Chennai earlier from Bangalore. Read on and find out which are your best train options when reaching Chennai from the city of Bangalore.
Best Trains from Bangalore to Chennai
| Train Name and Number | Departure Station - Time | Arrival Station - Time | Halts | Schedule |
| Mysuru Chennai Central Shatabdi Express Train No. 12008 | Bangalore City Junction - 16:25 | Chennai Central - 21:25 | 1 | Daily Except Wednesday |
| KSR Bengaluru City Chennai Central Shatabdi Express Train No. 12028 | Bangalore City Junction - 6:00 | Chennai Central - 11:00 | 2 | Daily Except Tuesday |
| Bagmati Express Train No. 12578 | Bangalore City Junction - 10:10 | Chennai Central - 15:55 | 4 | Saturday |
| KSR Bengaluru New Tinsukia Weekly SF Express Train No. 15901 | Bangalore City Junction - 3:10 | Perambur - 8:55 | 4 | Tuesday |
| Sainagar Shirdi Chennai Weekly SF Express Train No. 22602 | Krishnarajapuram - 3:55 | Chennai Central - 9:40 | 6 | Saturday |
| Yesvantpur Patliputra Express Train No. 22352 | Yesvantpur Junction - 9:55 | Chennai Central - 15:55 | 4 | Monday |
| KSR Bengaluru City Chennai Central Mail Train No. 12658 | Bangalore City Junction - 22:40 | Chennai Central - 4:45 | 6 | Daily |
| Bengaluru Cantonment Guwahati Express Train No. 12509 | Bangalore Cantt - 23:40 | Chennai Central - 6:05 | 5 | Wednesday, Tuesday and Friday |
| Sanghamitra SF Express Train No. 12295 | Bangalore City Junction - 9:00 | Chennai Central - 15:15 | 7 | Daily |
Which Train Should You Choose?
So from the table above, you can see which trains are your best options, that ply between Bangalore and Chennai. Out of all of these options, the first one, the Mysuru Chennai Central Shatabdi Express Train No. 12008 is the best one. It departs from the Bangalore City Junction at 16:25 and arrives in Chennai Central at 21:25. Journey duration is just 5 hours and it operates everyday except Wednesdays. It also has just one halt so delays are rare with this train. For seats, you can choose either between an AC Chair, at Rs. 795, or an Executive Chair, at Rs. 1,160.
The KSR Bengaluru City Chennai Central Shatabdi Express Train No. 12028 is also a good option. It departs from the Bangalore City Junction at 6:00 and arrives in Chennai Central at 11:00. Journey duration is just 5 hours and it operates everyday except Tuesdays. The train has two halts though instead of just one like the former. For seats, you can choose either between an AC Chair, at Rs. 715, or an Executive Chair, at Rs. 1,440.
There's also the Bagmati Express Train No. 12578 which departs from the Bangalore City Junction at 10:10 and arrives in Chennai Central at 15:55. Journey duration is just 5 hours and 45 minutes. It operates every Saturdays only though so you need to fix your schedule accordingly. The train has four halts too so you might experience a few delays along the way. A good feature of this train is that the seats are more affordable at Rs. 660 for 3AC, Rs. 260 for SL and 150 for General Quota.
Another option you have is the KSR Bengaluru New Tinsukia Weekly SF Express Train No. 15901, which runs every Tuesdays only. It departs from the Bangalore City Junction at 3:10 and arrives in Perambur at 8:55. Journey duration is around 5 hours and 45 minutes. It also has four halts but the bad feature of this train is that it has an average delay of about 40 minutes. Fares are around Rs. 910 for 2AC, Rs. 650 for 3AC, Rs. 255 for SL and Rs. 150 for General Quota.
The Sainagar Shirdi Chennai Weekly SF Express Train No. 22602 doesn't leave from the Bangalore City Junction but rather from the Krishnarajapuram Railway Station. It's a good choice for those living close to this locality. It departs at 3:55 from here and arrives in Chennai Central at 9:40. Journey duration is around 5 hours and 45 minutes too. It only leaves during Saturdays and has six halts in its journey. Fares are around Rs. 890 for 2AC, Rs. 640 for 3AC, Rs. 250 for SL and Rs. 145 for General Quota.
The last four remaining trains have journey durations of at least or more than 6 hours each. These trains have four to seven halts in between too. If you have such a busy schedule, both the KSR Bengaluru City Chennai Central Mail Train No. 12658 and Sanghamitra SF Express Train No. 12295 have daily trains departing from Bangalore and plying to Chennai.
Conclusion
There's no better choice than the Mysuru Chennai Central Shatabdi Express Train No. 12008, since it has just 1 halt and 5 hours of journey duration. However, the KSR Bengaluru City Chennai Central Shatabdi Express Train No. 12028 is also a good choice as it has minimal stopovers at just 2. Keep in mind that both are Shatabdi trains so their rates are on the higher side. If you want more affordable trains, then you can choose any of the remaining ones. All of these trains run under 6 hours and 30 minutes so they are still very acceptable.
I hope this helps.
