Southern Railway, in its present form, came into existence on 14th April 1951 through the merger of the three state railways namely Madras and Southern Mahratta Railway, the South Indian Railway, and the Mysore state railway.    

Southern Railway's present network extends over a large area of India's Southern Peninsula, covering the states of Tamilnadu, Kerala, Pondicherry,and a small portion of Andhra Pradesh. Serving these naturally plentiful and culturally rich southern states, the SR extends from Mangalore on the west coast and Kanniyakumari in the south to Renigunta in the North West and Gudur in the North East.  

Headquartered at Chennai, the Southern Railway comprises of the following five divisions.

1. Chennai
2. Tiruchirapalli
3. Madurai
4. Palghat
5. Trivandrum
The SR has a total staff strength of 1,05,111.