CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu’s first fully unreserved Antyodaya Express daily train will begin its run from Tambaram to Tirunelveli from Friday. This will prove to be a boon to passengers who are unable to get confirmed berths in other trains.Railway sources said the Antyodaya Express will start at Tambaram at 12.30 am on Friday and reach Tirunelveli at 3.30 pm. The train will pass through Villupuram, Mayiladuthurai, Tiruchy and Madurai.
In the return journey, the train will start at Tirunelveli at 5.30 pm and will reach Tambaram at 9.45 am the next day.The trains will stop at Chengalpattu, Villupuram, Mayiladuthurai, Thanjavur, Tiruchirappali, Dindigul, Madurai and Virudhunagar.To cater to more unreserved passengers in highly congested routes, railways introduced the first Antyodaya Express in March 2017 between Howrah and Ernakulam. Another train is being operated between Chennai and Santragachi by South-Eastern Railway (SER).
The Chennai - Tirunelveli route is considered one of the most congested train routes in railways. Trains beyond Madurai are operated with full capacity throughout the year. Particularly, during weekends and festival seasons, it is nearly impossible to get confirmed tickets on Pandiyan, Kanniyakumari, Nellai and Sengottai Expresses.
The train will comprise 18 coaches, of which 16 are general second class seat coaches. It will carry about 2000 passengers a trip and the ticket fare will be that of an express train. “This means, by paying `150 to `170 a ticket, passengers will now be able to travel up to Madurai,” explained an officer.