Coimbatore Junction is one of the most important and vital links of the southern rail network. It is an A1 category station, with the station code CBE and is present in the Salem Division of the Southern Railways. This is the second most important station in Chennai, as it handles 1–15 million passengers annually and contributes to almost 45% of the revenue in the Salem division.
Coimbatore Junction is the major connecting node between Chennai, Bengaluri, Delhi and Karnataka to the regions of central and northern Kerala. The reason behind this is that this station lies on the low altitude passage through the Western Ghats known as the Palaghat Gap. Without this gap, connecting these two regions can be a very difficult task.
Apart from an essential connecting pathway, Coimbatore is naturally home to a number of trains that connect all the corners of our country. Here are some of the major trains and critical transport links which are passing through Coimbatore Junction. If you want to have a look at the trains from this station to the destination of your choice, then you may do so by using the trains between two stations at RailMitra.
About Coimbatore Junction Station
Here is something most passengers do not think about until they are standing on the platform: CBE is not the origin for most trains that stop here. They come from somewhere else, pause, and go. Platform occupancy is tight because of it. At CBE, Nilgiri SF Express (12671/12672) does something different. This train shifts direction by reversing its locomotive. Then it swaps engines entirely on the far side. So consider that if you are planning a connection around this train.
Coimbatore to Chennai Trains
497 km between CBE and MGR Chennai Central. Trains run eight times over this route, plenty, sure, yet demand here from Coimbatore likely tops all others.
Vande Bharat Express (20643/20644) This train cuts through six hours straight, stopping at Tiruppur, then Erode, onward to Salem around six days each week, just not Wednesday. What’s so special about that? Because older Expresses on this same stretch routinely stretched past seven hours. Shatabdi Express (12243/12244) covers the same route with Executive and AC Chair Car coaches, six days, not Tuesdays, daytime only.
Then the overnight options. Cheran SF Express (12673/12674) departs CBE at 22:50 and reaches Chennai at 07:00. Daily, and regularly full because that morning arrival is genuinely useful. Kovai Express (12675/12676) is daily daytime running, second sitting and chair car, the name of the old still attracting passengers.
Chennai Central Intercity SF (12679/12680) runs daily and has 13 intermediate stops. Alleppey SF Express (22639/22640) reaches CBE every day on its way from Alappuzha to Chennai. Nilgiri SF Express (12671/12672), the reversal train, is running daily to Chennai after its CBE stop. Coimbatore Chennai SF Express (12681/12682) is a train that runs once a week on weekends and overnight. Train Schedule on RailMitra offers live seat availability for all of these.
Coimbatore to Bengaluru Trains
Three Vande Bharat trains between CBE and Bengaluru. That is not a small number for a single corridor. You can see the effect the IT migration from western Tamil Nadu to Karnataka has had on passenger demand here.
Take the Bengaluru Cantt Vande Bharat (20641/20642) for instance: it departs CBE at 07:25, goes via Dharmapuri and Hosur and in 6 hours 20 minutes has put 376 km behind it. That is six days a week, Thursdays being the exception. Then there is the ERS-SBC Vande Bharat (26651/26652), the 78th of its kind in the country. From Ernakulam with a stop at CBE it will be in KSR Bengaluru in 8 hours 40 minutes. Also six days a week, though not on Wednesdays.
For a daily run you have the UDAY Express (22665/22666), a double-decker AC Chair Car that gets you from CBE to KSR Bengaluru in 6 hours 55 minutes. The Ernakulam Intercity Express (12677/12678) is another daily option making the trip between Kerala and Karnataka through CBE. Its timing is the main reason it has the following it does.
You will find a number of overnight services. The Yesvantpur Kannur Express (16527/16528) is one example of the trains that come to a stop at CBE with a route between YPR and Kannur. Also, the Kanyakumari Bengaluru Express (16525/16526) operates every day from CAPE to SBC. In addition, the Mysuru Thiruvananthapuram Express (16315/16316) daily connects Karnataka with Kerala through CBE. Yet, you should also consider the Ernakulam SMVT Bengaluru Express (12683/12684) as it runs through Podanur Junction but does not require stopping at CBE. Bi-weekly. It will not stop here.
Coimbatore to Kerala Trains
The Palghat Gap concentrates this traffic. Actually, there isn’t much point in thinking of alternative routes for most trains going to Kerala, which explains the high number of trains on this corridor.
The West Coast SF Express (22637/22638) operate daily between Chennai and Mangaluru Central through the main trunk line that includes CBE. Mangaluru Coimbatore Intercity (22609/22610) is the daily return from the Malabar coast via Kannur Kozhikode Shoranur, arriving at CBE.
Sabari Express (17229/17230): Secunderabad-Thiruvananthapuram via CBE, daily. The Sabari train got its name as it was Mostly used to carry pilgrims traveling to Kerala. It runs year-round either way.
Karaikinal Erneckala Express (16187/16188) goes from pelagic eastern coast to the heart of Kerala via CBE everyday; Dhanbad Alappuzha Express (13351/13352) is a daily long run for a coalfield in Jharkhand to backwaters of Kerala; Visakhapatnam Kollam Express (18567/18568) is going via CBE weekly for coastal Andhra to south Kerala.
This corridor feels the effect of monsoon delayed harvests more than any other in South India.Live Train Running Status on RailMitra tracks against NTES data in real time and shows actual estimated arrival, not the scheduled time from three hours ago.
Coimbatore to Mumbai and Western India Trains
One daily service to Mumbai. In addition, all the routes heading northwest are on a weekly basis.
About Coimbatore Mumbai LTT Express (11013/11014): It is running from CBE to LTT via Bangalore Guntakal Solapur, Pune. It is operating daily, That means anyone needing a Mumbai connection from Coimbatore would by default take this train. Thiruvananthapuram Mumbai CSMT Express (16331/16332) is a weekly train and it takes a totally different route as it bypasses Bangalore and goes directly west to CSMT.
Coimbatore Rajkot Express (No. : 16613/16614) is a weekly train service that begins at CBE and then enters Gujarat region. Coimbatore Hisar AC Express (22475/22476) operates weekly and is an all-AC train. It passes through the Konkan Railway line in the north direction via Mangaluru Madgaon Panvel, Vasai Road, and Jodhpur up to Haryana. Tirunelveli Dadar SF Express (22629/22630) also takes the Konkan route. It is a weekly train from south Tamil Nadu to Mumbai by passing Goa.
Coimbatore Jaipur Express (12969/12970) is the train to Rajasthan once a week through Chennai Nagpur Bhopal, Kota. Coimbatore Jabalpur SF Special (02197/02198) leaves for Madhya Pradesh once a week via the western coast. Checking your PNR Status on RailMitra before departure will give you the updated coach position and berth details. This is a very handy feature for long-haul trains where sometimes the composition of the rakes is changed.
Coimbatore to Delhi, East India and North-East Trains
Mostly weekly services. A couple bi-weekly. One daily. Actually a few of them are the longest routes even in the whole Indian railways network. The Kerala SF Express (12625/12626) is the one that runs daily from NDLS to Thiruvananthapuram via CBE. The distance covered is 2,607 km and time taken is less than 40 hours from New Delhi. This is the fastest regular daily train connecting Coimbatore and New Delhi.
The Kongu SF Express (12647/12648) starts from CBE itself and goes to Hazrat Nizamuddin weekly via Bangalore Kacheguda Nagpur, Bhopal. The Himsagar Express (16317/16318) is a weekly mode of transport joining Kanyakumari to Jammu Tawi via CBE. It is one of the longest routes for kilometers on the Indian Railways network.
The Coimbatore Silchar Express (12515/12516): 3,491 km, is a weekly train from CBE to Silchar in Assam and takes 64 hours 25 minutes. The Aronai Express (12507/12508) also operates on the TVC to Silchar run via CBE, weekly.
The Thiruvananthapuram Shalimar Express (22641/22642) operates bi-weekly, TVC to Shalimar via CBE and Bhubaneswar, which is a direct link from Kerala to Kolkata. The Bilaspur Tirunelveli Express (22619/22620) runs from Chhattisgarh to south Tamil Nadu via CBE on a weekly basis.
Local and MEMU Trains at Coimbatore Junction
Short hauls, high frequency, mostly second sitting or unreserved. It’s a different type of traffic when we compare it to the long-distance train platforms.
The Mettupalayam MEMU service operates on this train numbers 66611 66612 66614, 66615 66616 66618 66619 66620. There are several train departures during the day. Mettupalayam is the start point of the Nilgiri Mountain Railway, Because of this this is not only a commuter train. Hill travellers use it to connect before the toy train climbs. Daily, Palakkad Town MEMU (66605/66606/66607/66608) makes a trip across Kerala. Coimbatore Shoranur MEMU (66603/66604) brings a link between CBE and Shoranur Junction. Coimbatore Erode MEMU (66600/66601/66602) traverses Tiruppur and Erode which are the textile cities.
Pollachi Passenger (56183/56184) operates daily unreserved for Pollachi. Palani Passenger (56608/56609) travels daily to the hilltop temple town of Palani.
Order Food at Coimbatore Junction
Long-haul travelers who are on reserved trains passing through CBE can order food at Coimbatore Junction via RailMitra and have it delivered right to their seats. What sets this apart from normal food ordering is the way it deals with delays: the platform tracks the trains against NTES in real time, so the kitchen prepares food based on actual arrival, rather than scheduled time. A late train does not mean cold food.
Geetha Hotels is among the active partners at CBE. The menu covers vegetarian thalis in multiple grades, chicken and egg biryani, Jain meals prepared strictly without onion, garlic, or root vegetables, and Chinese options. Orders need to be placed at least one hour before the train reaches Coimbatore Junction. Payment by UPI, card, net banking, or cash on delivery. Automatic cancellation and full refund if the train does not run.
Tobook food in train at a discount, RailMitra coupon codes cover a range of order sizes: flat cashback on smaller orders, higher fixed discounts on larger ones, and group booking deals on orders above Rs. 1,499.
Conclusion
Coimbatore Junction isn’t you average railway station. It is a station that was created by geography, nurtured by the railways and loved by millions of passengers that ride it every year. It’s strategic location at the Palaghat Gap meant that trains from Jammu & Kashmir as well as that from Assam, all pass through this junction.
Passengers can take daily trains to nearby Palakkad, overnight trains to Chennai and weekly trains that connect this station to states like Rajasthan and North East. The train schedule on this station changes from time to time and during festive seasons, special trains are launched as well. To know the most updated train timings, use the train schedule service.
