[gianni66]

Hi all, here the old dear Steven Ber would have been useful!!  
I have tried to check the availability of places on trains from Rameswaram to Chidambaram and viceversa for my next trip in August, and the website gave an error message saying that the trains don't stop at the Rameswaram station presently. So I checked the schedules of both the trains on the rail line Tambaram-Rameswaram, and I have found that SINCE 15th JULY one of the two will no more run, while the second one will stop to Karaikkudi JN station (about 200 km. before Rameswaram).
The Madurai-Rameswaram line seems also
Therefore, in few days the only way to reach Rameswaram will be by bus from Madurai...  
Has anyone more precise news about this issue?
How is the journey by bus from Madurai, compared to the one by train?
And would you suggest as an alternative to go to visit Kanyakumari instead?
Gianni (40 DAYS TO GO!!!!!       )

[digital drifter]

gianni66, on Jul 3 2006, 05:19 PM, said:

Hi all, here the old dear Steven Ber would have been useful!!  
I have tried to check the availability of places on trains from Rameswaram to Chidambaram and viceversa for my next trip in August, and the website gave an error message saying that the trains don't stop at the Rameswaram station presently. So I checked the schedules of both the trains on the rail line Tambaram-Rameswaram, and I have found that SINCE 15th JULY one of the two will no more run, while the second one will stop to Karaikkudi JN station (about 200 km. before Rameswaram).
The Madurai-Rameswaram line seems also
Therefore, in few days the only way to reach Rameswaram will be by bus from Madurai...  
Has anyone more precise news about this issue?
How is the journey by bus from Madurai, compared to the one by train?
And would you suggest as an alternative to go to visit Kanyakumari instead?
Gianni (40 DAYS TO GO!!!!!       )

closed for guage conversion. See the press release here

http://www.southernr...s/pr.asp?sl=456

CLOSURE OF PUDUKKOTTAI – KARAIKKUDI AND MANAMADURAI – RAMESWARAM METRE GAUGE SECTIONS
FOR GAUGE CONVERSION

The madurai-Rameshwaram connects to manamadurai & then on to Rameshwaram, so if the line is closed so is the madurai link.

it takes approx. 6 hours by bus & around 4.5-5 hrs by car.  By Bus from Madurai, you need to go to the Mattu Thavani bus stand beyond Anna Bus stand.  The Anna Bus stand is for local intracity buses while Mattu (Maa tu) thavani bus stand is for the state wide network.

[gianni66]

digital drifter, on Jul 3 2006, 07:19 PM, said:

closed for guage conversion. See the press release here

http://www.southernr...s/pr.asp?sl=456

CLOSURE OF PUDUKKOTTAI – KARAIKKUDI AND MANAMADURAI – RAMESWARAM METRE GAUGE SECTIONS
FOR GAUGE CONVERSION

The madurai-Rameshwaram connects to manamadurai & then on to Rameshwaram, so if the line is closed so is the madurai link.

it takes approx. 6 hours by bus & around 4.5-5 hrs by car.  By Bus from Madurai, you need to go to the Mattu Thavani bus stand beyond Anna Bus stand.  The Anna Bus stand is for local intracity buses while Mattu (Maa tu) thavani bus stand is for the state wide network.

6 hours by bus????    I thought much less, 4 hours max...  
I am very sorry to think to cut Rameswaram from my itinerary in TN, but I would like to travel as much as possible by train avoiding buses, which I don't like at all!!
Any suggetion for a 16 days itinerary from Chennai and back through Kanchipuram - Mamallapuram - Chidambaram - Thanjavur - Tiruchirapalli - Madurai? I am thinking to Kanyakumari (well connected by rail) instead of Rameswaram, or maybe stay longer in Kumbakonam area.

[Serena]

Ciao Gianni , this is the same itinerary I was thinking about for a future trip in TN.
I can only say that I've already made Kanchipuram as a day trip from Mamallapuram  by bus and I would love to see both again.
In 16 days I think I skip Kanyakumari to savour the beautiful temple towns of the region!

Serena.