The Rockfort Express is the most popular night express train that connects Trichy and Chennai

Chennai

Chennai , formerly known as Madras or Madarasapatinam , is the capital city of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, located on the Coromandel Coast off the Bay of Bengal. Chennai is the fourth most populous metropolitan area and the sixth most populous city in India...

 Egmore in the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu is one of the 28 states of India. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu lies in the southernmost part of the Indian Peninsula and is bordered by the union territory of Pondicherry, and the states of Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh...

 and extends till Kumbakonam. The train numbered 16178 departs from Kumbakonam at 19:55 Hours and reaches Trichy at 21:55 Hours as a link Express. From Trichy it departs as an Express by 22:20 hours and reaches Chennai Egmore

Chennai Egmore

Chennai Egmore , formerly known as Madras Egmore, is a railway station in Egmore, Chennai , South India. The station acts as the arrival and departure point for trains connecting Chennai and southern, central Tamil Nadu and Kerala.This is one of the two main railway terminals in the city along with...

 at 5:30 the next day. The parallel train numbered 16177 starts around 22:30 Hours from Chennai Egmore

Chennai Egmore

Chennai Egmore , formerly known as Madras Egmore, is a railway station in Egmore, Chennai , South India. The station acts as the arrival and departure point for trains connecting Chennai and southern, central Tamil Nadu and Kerala.This is one of the two main railway terminals in the city along with...

 and reaches Trichy around 05:30 hours the next day.

This train also had the livery changed twice, first it was signal-green livery, separated by yellow-lines between the upper & lower part of the windows and later it was changed to Maroon-livery when it was run on the MG.

Relevance

The eponymous train is named after the famous 12th century fortress Rockfort temple

Rockfort Ucchi Pillayar Temple

Rockfort or Ucchi Pillayar koil, is a combination of two famous 7th century Hindu temples, one dedicated to Lord Ganesh and the other dedicated to Lord Shiva, located a top of a huge rock in Trichy, India...

 in the heart of Tiruchirapalli

Tiruchirapalli

Tiruchirappalli ) , also called Tiruchi or Trichy , is a city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and the administrative headquarters of Tiruchirappalli District. It is the fourth largest municipal corporation in Tamil Nadu and also the fourth largest urban agglomeration in the state...

. The train originally ran between Chennai and Trichy on the chord line track, later extended to Kumbakonam as Rockfort link express during the meter gauge track conversion of the main line between Thanjavur - Kumbakonan - Chennai. There is a persistent demand for restoring the train to its original route between Trichy and Chennai.

Composition

Rockfort Express is one of the very few trains in the Indian Railways

Indian Railways

Indian Railways , abbreviated as IR , is a departmental undertaking of Government of India, which owns and operates most of India's rail transport. It is overseen by the Ministry of Railways of the Government of India....

 having coaches of all the six classes. There are 24 coaches covering A/C First Class, A/C 2-Tier, first class, A/C 3-tier, sleeper class, and general compartments. The train usually runs to full capacity.

Tiruchirapalli to Chennai

The Route of the Rockfort Express (16178) from Kumbakonam to Chennai:

Station Code	Station Name	Arrival	Departure	Distance	Day
KMU	Kumbakonam	---	19:55	0	1
PML	Papanasam	20:09	20:10	15	1
TJ	Tanjavur	20:25	20:30	40	1
BAL	Budalur	20:44	20:45	57	1
TRB	Tiruverumbur	20:59	21:00	80	1
TPJ	Tiruchchirapalli Junction	21:55	22:20	90	1
GOC	Ponmalai (Golden Rock)	22:28	22:30	92	1
TPTN	Tiruchchirapalli Town	22:38	22:40	98	1
SRGM	Srirangam Srirangam Srirangam , Old name is Vellithirumutha gramam and Tamil name is Thiruvarangam , is an island and a part of the city of Tiruchirapalli , in South India....	22:48	22:50	101	1
LLI	Lalgudi Lalgudi Lalgudi is a town in Tiruchirapalli district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu.-Geography:Lalgudi is a town located around 20KM from Tiruchirapalli on NH227 Tiruchirapalli-Chidambaram. Lalgudi lies close to Coleroon River...	23:03	23:05	116	1
KKPM	Kallakkudi PLGH	23:18	23:20	135	1
ALU	Ariyalur Ariyalur Ariyalur is a Municipality in Ariyalur district in the state of Tamil Nadu, India.-Geography:Ariyalur is a municipality and headquarters of Ariyalur District in the state of Tamil Nadu. It is rich in limestone resources. Big industrial houses like Birlas , India cements, Dalmia cements, Madras...	23:43	23:45	159	1
PNDM	Pennadam	00:17	00:18	194	2
VRI	Vridhachalam JN	00:38	00:40	212	2
VM	Villupuram JN	02:25	02:30	267	2
TMV	Tindivanam Tindivanam Tindivanam is a town and a municipality in Viluppuram district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Important roads from north to south Tamil Nadu pass through Tindivanam and similarly from west to east.-History:Tindivanam is a Selection grade Municipal Town...	03:08	03:10	304	2
MLMR	Melmaruvattur	03:39	03:40	335	2
CGL	Chengalpattu	04:03	04:05	370	2
TBM	Tambaram Tambaram Tambaram is a suburb of Chennai situated 27 km south of the city in Tamil Nadu, India. It is an urban node. Tambaram is a hub to all major destinations in south Tamil Nadu as it lies on the busy Chennai–Trichy national highway. The highway and the railway line from Chennai Egmore to...	04:33	04:35	401	2
MBM	Mambalam	04:53	04:55	419	2
MS	Chennai Egmore Chennai Egmore Chennai Egmore , formerly known as Madras Egmore, is a railway station in Egmore, Chennai , South India. The station acts as the arrival and departure point for trains connecting Chennai and southern, central Tamil Nadu and Kerala.This is one of the two main railway terminals in the city along with...	05:30	---	425	2

Note: All the Times are in IST(Indian Standard Time - GMT+5.30).

Chennai to Tiruchirapalli

The route of the Rockfort Express (16177) from Chennai to Kumbakonam:

Station Code	Station Name	Arrival	Departure	Distance	Day
MS	Chennai Egmore Chennai Egmore Chennai Egmore , formerly known as Madras Egmore, is a railway station in Egmore, Chennai , South India. The station acts as the arrival and departure point for trains connecting Chennai and southern, central Tamil Nadu and Kerala.This is one of the two main railway terminals in the city along with...	---	22:30	0	1
MBM	Mambalam	22:40	22:41	7	1
TBM	Tambaram Tambaram Tambaram is a suburb of Chennai situated 27 km south of the city in Tamil Nadu, India. It is an urban node. Tambaram is a hub to all major destinations in south Tamil Nadu as it lies on the busy Chennai–Trichy national highway. The highway and the railway line from Chennai Egmore to...	22:59	23:00	25	1
CGL	Chengalpattu	23:28	23:30	56	1
MLMR	Melmaruvattur	00:01	00:02	092	2
TMV	Tindivanam Tindivanam Tindivanam is a town and a municipality in Viluppuram district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Important roads from north to south Tamil Nadu pass through Tindivanam and similarly from west to east.-History:Tindivanam is a Selection grade Municipal Town...	00:19	00:20	122	2
VM	Villupuram JN	01:00	01:05	159	2
VRI	Vridhachalam JN	01:38	01:40	213	2
ALU	Ariyalur Ariyalur Ariyalur is a Municipality in Ariyalur district in the state of Tamil Nadu, India.-Geography:Ariyalur is a municipality and headquarters of Ariyalur District in the state of Tamil Nadu. It is rich in limestone resources. Big industrial houses like Birlas , India cements, Dalmia cements, Madras...	02:19	02:20	267	2
KKPM	Kallakkudi PLGH	03:31	03:32	291	2
LLI	Lalgudi Lalgudi Lalgudi is a town in Tiruchirapalli district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu.-Geography:Lalgudi is a town located around 20KM from Tiruchirapalli on NH227 Tiruchirapalli-Chidambaram. Lalgudi lies close to Coleroon River...	03:49	03:50	310	2
SRGM	Srirangam Srirangam Srirangam , Old name is Vellithirumutha gramam and Tamil name is Thiruvarangam , is an island and a part of the city of Tiruchirapalli , in South India....	04:05	04:06	325	2
TPTN	Tiruchchirapalli Town	04:14	04:16	328	2
GOC	Ponmalai (Golden Rock)	04:24	04:25	334	2
TPJ	Tiruchchirapalli Junction	05:30	05:40	336	2
TRB	Tiruverumbur	05:55	05:56	346	2
BAL	Budalur	06:03	06:04	369	2
TJ	Tanjavur	06:15	06:20	386	2
PML	Papanasam	06:41	06:42	411	2
KMU	Kumbakonam	07:40	---	425	2

Note: All times are in IST (Indian Standard Time: GMT+5.30).

Please refer to the Southern Railway

Southern Railway (India)

The Southern Railway is the earliest of the 16 zones of the Indian Railways created in independent India. It was created on April 14, 1951 by merging three state railways namely Madras and Southern Mahratta Railway, the South Indian Railway, and the Mysore State Railway. The South Indian Railway...

 Timetable for the latest timings and updates.

See also

• Pallavan Express
  Pallavan Express
  The Pallavan Express is a superfast train operated by the Southern Railway zone of the Indian Railways. This train connects the cities of Tiruchirapalli and Chennai in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is one of the more prestigious trains of the Southern Railway.-General information:The train...
  
  
• Vaigai express
  Vaigai express
  The Vaigai Express is a super fast day express train running between Chennai and Madurai. It is one of the more prestigious trains of the Southern Railway zone of the Indian railways....
  
  
• Pandian Express
  Pandian Express
  The Pandian Express is a train route of the Southern Railway zone of the Indian Railways and runs between Chennai Egmore and Madurai Junction via Tiruchirapalli. The name of the train commemorates the 10th-13th century Pandian Kingdom of Tamil Nadu. It is a standard train consisting of 24 coaches...
  
  
• Tamil Nadu Express
  Tamil Nadu Express
  The Tamil Nadu Express or T.N. Express is a passenger train route of the Indian Railways. The train was first started on 7 August 1976 by then Prime Minister, Mrs. Indira Gandhi as a bi-weekly was the first State named train of the south...
  
  
• Nellai Express
  Nellai Express
  The Nellai Express is a super fast train on the Indian Railways, connecting Tirunelveli Jn with Chennai Egmore.-Numbers and Route:* 119/120* 6119/6120* 2631/2632* 12631/12632...
  
  
• Kovai Express
  Kovai Express
  The Kovai Express is a daily superfast express train on Indian Railways, running between Chennai Central and Coimbatore Junction. Recently ads featuring the mobile phone services operator Vodafone can be spotted on the exteriors of the Kovai Express coaches. Train Number 2675 starts from Chennai...
  
  
• Pearl City Express
  Pearl City Express
  The Pearl City Express is a superfast express train route of the Southern Railway, a zone of the Indian Railways.-Route and Number :As per the Indian Railways numbering system, this train is numbered as 12693 in the downward direction, i.e. from Chennai Egmore to Tuticorin and 12694 in the upward...
  
  
• Chennai Rajdhani
  Chennai Rajdhani
  The Chennai Rajdhani Express is an important train connecting Chennai to New Delhi. It was first introduced in 1993 and runs twice a week from Delhi and twice from Chennai. The Chennai Rajdhani is a fast alternative to the classic Grand Trunk Express and the modern superfast Tamil Nadu Express.The...
  
  
• Pearl City Express
  Pearl City Express
  The Pearl City Express is a superfast express train route of the Southern Railway, a zone of the Indian Railways.-Route and Number :As per the Indian Railways numbering system, this train is numbered as 12693 in the downward direction, i.e. from Chennai Egmore to Tuticorin and 12694 in the upward...
  
  
• Cheran Express
  Cheran Express
  The Cheran Express is an express train in India which runs between Coimbatore Junction and Chennai Central on the Southern Railway zone of the Indian Railways.-Route:...