Ananthapuri Express is an express train running between and via , Nagercoil Town, Tirunelveli Junction, Madurai Junction, Tiruchchirappalli Junction and Villupuram Junction through the trunk line and chord lines in southern India. It is a daily overnight Express/Mail service. History The inauguration of this train was on 30 June 2002 operating six days a week. Later in 2005 it was made daily train. In the beginning it ran between and . It was named Ananthapuri after the city Thiruvananthapuram. In 2017 railway budget, it was extended to Kollam with effect from 1 November 2017. Route It runs along the Kollam–Thiruvananthapuram trunk line and other chord lines through one among the shortest routes from Kollam to Chennai via Thiruvananthapuram, Nagercoil Town, Tirunelveli, Virudhunagar, Madurai, Tiruchirappalli (Trichy), Viluppuram and Chengalpattu. Coach composition In total 23 coaches are there. It includes One AC First Class (H), AC 2 Tier (A), AC 3 Tier (B), Sleeper Class (SL), Unreserved general sitting coach (GS) and End on Generators (SLRD). The Ananthapuri Express between Chennai Egmore and Kollam has a rake sharing agreement (RSA) with Uzhavan Express (16865 / 16866) between Chennai and Thanjavur. The primary maintenanced by the four rakes of the express at Tiruchchirappalli (Trichy) coaching depot. Incident The engine of 16723 Express caught fire at Kollam Junction on 16 July 2018. See also Kanniyakumari Express Guruvayur Express Pearl City Express Silambu Express Pothigai Express References External links Rail transport in Kollam Transport in Thiruvananthapuram Transport in Chennai Railway services introduced in 2002 Named passenger trains of India Rail transport in Kerala Rail transport in Tamil Nadu Express trains in India