Are early morning suburban commuter trains crowded in Chennai

I am travelling to Chennai in a couple of months time. I have booked a ticket from Frankfurt to Chennai in Lufthansa. This means I arrive at close to midnight in Chennai. I googled and discovered that there exists a suburban train system close to Chennai airport which takes me to the two big railway stations in Chennai (Egmor and Centraal). I plan to take a commuter train at 04:00 AM. I will have with me 2 big suitcases (though they will not be more than 5-10kgs each).

I have a few questions:

How much of a walk is it from Chennai International arrivals area to the nearest suburban railway station?
How crowded will be the train?
If I wish to purchase a "First class ticket", how much will it cost? Will there be an open ticket counter at 04 AM? Is there a mobile App where I can purchase before hand?

airport-transfer chennai

Best Answer

1) Probably 5-10 minutes walk, considering your luggage. The station is visible from the airport. There is a subway connecting to the airport to cross the highway.

2) More or less empty. Minimal traffic at the best. You can easily get a seat. The timetable for reference. You check the route from Tambaram to Chennai Beach to go to the railway station.

3) I don't know the cost, but not worth it. The seats probably have a bit of a cushion and that is it.

This is from when I used it maybe 6-7 years ago.