CHENNAI: The Railway Board has added two more routes to the existing list of 12 routes planned for running private trains under Chennai cluster of the Southern Railway. The newly added routes are Chennai -Tirupati, and Ernakulam -Kochuveli.
The railways targets to launch the first set by 2022-23 and has commenced the preparatory works. The railways has also invited bids from private companies. The tentative schedule of proposed Chennai-Tirupati weekly private – the train will leave Chennai at 7.20 pm on Saturdays, and reach Tirupati at 10.30 pm. Similarly, it will leave Tirupati on Sundays at 9.40 am and reach at 12.50 pm. It will stop at Arakkonam and Renigunta in both directions.
The identified routes are Chennai-Coimbatore, Chennai-Madurai, Chennai-Tiruchy, Chennai-Kanniyakumari, Chennai-Tirunelveli, Chennai-New Delhi, Puducherry-Secunderabad, Ernakulam-Kanniyakumari, Coimbatore-Tirunelveli, Chennai -Madurai (bi-weekly), Kochuveli-Guwahati (tri-weekly), and Chennai-Mangaluru (weekly), Chennai-Tirupati (weekly), Ernakulam-Kochuveli (weekly). Two trains from other clusters are Howrah-Chennai (daily) and Jodhpur area - Chennai (bi-weekly).