Transport in Rameswaram

Rameswaram is a pilgrim center in Tamil Nadu attracting pilgrims and other visitors on a regular basis. To meet their needs, the town has a good network of transportation and a fairly decent organized and developed public transport network.

The most effective, easiest and cheapest mode of commute in Rameswaram is through the fleet of public buses. The buses connect the entire town to the main bus stand covering all the main areas. Also, the bus fares a pretty nominal costing between Rs 3 to Rs 5 only. While the semi deluxe buses are available for the public transit, there are talks that air conditioned buses will soon be introduced to serve the residents and tourists of Rameswaram.
 
Besides the buses, there is a wide network of auto rickshaws in Rameswaram that are pretty useful for the tourists, but one should be cautious to finalize the fare before boarding the vehicle as they rarely run meters. However, these auto rickshaws come in very handy during the peek hours when the buses are extremely crowded. On the whole the public transit in Rameswaram is highly dependable for the tourists.

In addition to frequent buses to reach the areas within the town, there are long distance SETC buses that connect Rameswaram to other major cities and towns such as Madurai, Kanyakumari, Trichy, Thanjavur, Tirunelveli, Erode, Tuticorin and many others. Also, there are overnight deluxe buses for cities such as Chennai and Bangalore.
 
Rameswaram Bus Stand
Address: Kochi - Dhanushkodi Road,
Ramanathapuram, Tamil Nadu

Rameswaram being a bustling tourist destination, there is a very well connected railway system. The railway station is too busy with several trains operating across it to connect the town to the different parts of Tamil Nadu and other states as well. In fact, Rameswaram railway station is considered one of the major railheads of the Southern region.It is important to know that the railway station operates trains at regular intervals to Madurai, Coimbatore, Tiruchirapalli, Chennai and so on.

Station Code: RMM
Amenities: Waiting Room, Retiring Room, Telephone Booth, Water Cooler, Tea Stall, Tourist Information Centre.

Here is a sneak peek at some of the trains that connect the other cities and towns to Rameswaram:
 
Train Name: Cape RMM Express
Train Number: 22622/22621
Destination: Kanyajumari/Rameswaram
Schedule: Tuesday, Friday, Sunday
Fare: Rs 625 for 3A, Rs 245 for SL, Rs 130 for General
 
Train Name: Rameswaram Express
Train Number: 16101/16102
Destination: Chennai Egmore/Rameswaram
Schedule: Daily
Fare: Rs 1,930 for 1A, Rs 1,175 for 2A, Rs 840 for 3A, Rs 315 for SL, Rs 165 for General
 
Train Name: Rameswaram Express
Train Number: 16713/16714
Destination: Chennai Egmore/Rameswaram
Schedule: Daily
Fare: Rs 1,090 for 2A, Rs 785 for 3A, Rs 290 for SL, Rs 170 for 2S, 155 for General
 
Train Name: Bhubaneswar Express
Train Number: 18495/18496
Destination: Bhubaneswar/Rameswaram
Schedule: Weekly
Fare: Rs 2,285 for 2A, Rs 1,600 for 3A, Rs 605 for SL, Rs 345 for General
 
Train Name: Okha Express
Train Number: 16733/16734
Destination: Gujarat/Rameswaram 
Schedule: Weekly
Fare: Rs 3,010 for 2A, Rs 2,065 for 3A, Rs 795 for SL, Rs 465 for General

There is no airport in Rameswaram, but the Madurai Airport is the closest to the town located at 163 kms. And, this airport is well connected to the major cities all over the country. There are special Rameswaram flights operating daily through Chennai and Madurai. Spice Jet SG291 connecting Delhi to Chennai, Chennai to Madurai and Spice Jet SG303 connects Mumbai to Chennai, Chennai to Madurai. Also, Jet Airways Connect has four flights connecting Chennai to Madurai everyday - 9W2341, 9W2343, 9W2727 and 9W2723. Indian Airlines has a single flight from Chennai to Madurai - AI 671.