Mayiladuthurai Junction (station code: MV), formerly known as Mayavaram Junction, is a railway station located in Mayiladuthurai, in Tamil Nadu, India. It is a part of the Southern Railway zone of Indian Railways and is administered by Tiruchirappalli railway division. The station is classified as an NSGâÂÂ3 category station and has five platforms. It handles a combination of originating, terminating, and passing trains, with 14 originating and 14 terminating trains, and approximately 74 departure and arrival trains operating daily.
Mayiladuthurai Junction is located on the Chennai EgmoreâÂÂThanjavur main line, a route connecting Chennai to the Cauvery delta region. The station serves as an important node in regional rail transportation, supporting both passenger and freight movement across Tamil Nadu.
Historically, the station formed part of the South Indian Railway network. The South Indian Railway was a metre-gauge (3 ft 3 in), single-track system with a total route length of approximately , including the worked lines. The rail line originated from Madras Beach (now Chennai Beach) to Tuticorin (now Thoothukudi), a distance of about , serving important towns such as Chingleput (Chengalpattu), Cuddalore, Mayavaram (now Mayiladuthurai), Kumbakonam, Tanjore (Thanjavur), Trichinopoly (Tiruchirappalli), Dindigul, and Madura (Madurai).
At Mayavaram, a branch line about in length extended to Mutupet (Muthupet) through Peralam. From Peralam on this branch, a shorter line of around 15 miles connected to the French-administered port of Karaikkal. In April 1894, the MayavaramâÂÂMutupet Railway, owned by the Tanjore District Board, was opened for traffic and later operated by the South Indian Railway Company. The MuthupetâÂÂAranthangi line was opened for traffic in 1903, followed by the opening of the AranthangiâÂÂKaraikkudi line in 1952, providing Mayavaram Junction with direct access to Karaikkudi.
The Junction was established on as part of the Chennai EgmoreâÂÂThanjavur main line, constructed by the South Indian Railway Company. In April 1894 it became a junction with the addition of branch lines, including the MayiladuthuraiâÂÂKaraikudi section via Mutupet, Thiruthuraipoondi, Pattukkottai, and Aranthangi.
In 1880, the South Indian Railway Company completed a metre-gauge trunk line from Chennai to Tuticorin via Cuddalore, Chidambaram, Mayiladuthurai, Kumbakonam, and Thanjavur.
Before 1880, several sections of the main line through Mayavaram had already been opened. These included the TindivanamâÂÂCuddalore Junction (82.67 km), Cuddalore JunctionâÂÂPorto Novo (Parangipettai) (27.60 km), Sirkazhi (Shiyali)âÂÂMayavaram (19.71 km), and MayavaramâÂÂThanjavur (70.42 km) sections in 1877, followed by the Coleroon (Kollidam)âÂÂSirkazhi (9.75 km) and Porto NovoâÂÂChidambaram (10.83 km) sections in 1878.
A 36 km (22 mi) metre-gauge line from MayiladuthuraiâÂÂTharangambadi (then known as Tranquebar) was opened in 1926 by the British administration. This line was closed in 1987 due to operational challenges, though proposals for restoration have been discussed in recent years.
Mayiladuthurai Junction connects to multiple destinations via the following lines:
The station is classified as a NSGâÂÂ3 category station and comes under the purview of the Tiruchirappalli railway division of the Southern Railway zone of the Indian Railways. It is located on the Chennai EgmoreâÂÂThanjavur main line , with a branch line connecting to Thiruvarur and Karaikal via Peralam Junction. As of 2026, the station handles 74 trains, including those that halt, originate and terminate at the station. Service comprises Mail/Express, Antyodaya trains and Suburban/Multiple Units daily.
The station provides daily train services to Chennai, Coimbatore, Madurai, Bengaluru, Mysore, Nagercoil, Rameswaram, Sengottai, Tiruchendur, and Tirupati. In addition, the station is linked to weekly services to longer-distance destinations such as Ayodhya, Bhagat Ki Kothi, Bhubaneswar, Hyderabad, Kanniyakumari, Mumbai, New Jalpaiguri, and Thoothukudi, Varanasi (Banaras) thereby extending its reach to northern, eastern, and western parts of the country.
The station has direct daily services to destinations including Villupuram, Thiruvarur, Salem, Thanjavur, Tiruchirappalli, Mannargudi, Karaikal, Karaikkudi, and Velankanni. Services comprise passenger, Express, MEMU, and DEMU trains.
The station also manages freight operations across southern India, including the transportation of commodities such as paddy, coal, and fertilizers.
The station has a total of 8 platforms, including 5 designated for passenger movement and 3 for freight operations. Passenger amenities include dormitories, retiring rooms, waiting halls, CCTV surveillance, Wi-Fi connectivity, Railway Mail Services, restaurants, ATMs, and battery-operated cars for mobility assistance.
Upgradation and beautification works are being carried out under the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme, with completion expected by mid-2026. The project includes the installation of elevators and escalators, along with other infrastructure improvements.
Meter-gauge , train services on the ThanjavurâÂÂMayiladuthuraiâÂÂVillupuram route were suspended in phases for broad gauge , conversion project. The operations on the ThanjavurâÂÂKumbakonamâÂÂMayiladuthurai section were discontinued between 2004âÂÂ2005. Subsequently, the VillupuramâÂÂMayiladuthurai section was closed to regular passenger traffic from around 2007âÂÂ2008 onward for gauge conversion.
The broad-gauge conversion of the Thanjavur to Mayiladuthurai was completed and the line was reopened in 2006. The Villupuram to Mayiladuthurai was inaugurated on 10 May 2010. The Mayiladuthurai to Tiruvarur was opened on 16 December 2011. Further, the conversion of the TiruvarurâÂÂKaraikudi section was completed in 2019.
The Cuddalore-Mayiladuthurai-Thiruvarur section was commissioned on 28 January 2020.
The Mayiladuthurai-Thanjavur section was completed in the end of 2020 and it was commissioned on 14 February 2021.
The railway station is located off the Sarathattai Street, Railway Cross Road south-west of Mayiladuthurai. The nearest bus depot is located in Mayiladuthurai while the nearest airport is situated away in Tiruchirappalli.
It is one of the 77 stations in Tamil Nadu to be named for upgradation under Amrit Bharat Station Scheme of Indian Railways.