On the way to Tirumala
Every day, tens of thousands of pilgrims travel to the Tirumala Venkateswara Temple, high in the Seshachalam hills, and a large share of them begin the last stage at Tirupati railway station (code TPTY). From here, buses and taxis climb the ghat road to Tirumala, and many devotees walk up the ancient footpaths from Alipiri. The station is among the top hundred booking stations of Indian Railways and belongs to South Coast Railway's Guntakal division.
A metre-gauge beginning
Tirupati station opened in 1891, originally known as Tirupati East, on a metre-gauge line of the South Indian Railway Company that started at Villupuram and ran through Katpadi and Chittoor to Pakala. The Gudur–Katpadi line through Tirupati was later converted to broad gauge, putting the pilgrim city on direct broad-gauge routes from across India.
A green, upgraded station
Tirupati has been awarded a Gold rating by the Indian Green Building Council, with solar panels on its rooftops. An upgrade costing about ₹11 crore added:
- a waiting hall of about 1,200 square metres for 210 people
- a 100 square metre cloakroom with 50 steel racks, useful for pilgrims leaving luggage before going up the hill
- a premium lounge of more than 350 square metres
TPTY has 6 platforms on 8 tracks, about 150 metres above sea level.
Tirupati's stations
Several stations serve the temple town, and many trains use the nearby junction rather than Tirupati itself:
| Station | Notes |
|---|---|
| Tirupati (TPTY) | Main terminus in the town |
| Renigunta Junction | On the Mumbai–Chennai main line, a short drive away |
| Tiruchanur | Near the Padmavathi Ammavari temple |
| Tirupati West Halt and Chandragiri | Smaller local stops |
Planning the pilgrimage
- Book temple darshan slots in advance through the temple trust before planning train times.
- Trains from Chennai, Hyderabad, Bengaluru and across India are listed in our timetable search.