CHENNAI: Come April, Southern Railway will introduce two new express trains - Vande Bharat express on the Chennai-Coimbatore route and a tri-weekly express on the Tambaram-Sengottai route. The services will be flagged off by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on April 8, as per the tentative plan, revealed official documents.
The introduction of a new service to Sengottai will enable a direct link to Chennai on the Tenkasi - Ambasamudran - Tirunelveli (72 km) sector, 11 years after being converted into a broad gauge line. The new service will run on the main line via Thiruvarur, Karaikudi and Tenkasi. Two new trains on highly congested routes are expected to provide huge relief to passengers who otherwise rely on omnibuses during weekends and festival seasons.
Official sources said civil works to reinforce the tracks have been completed and lines are expected to be cleared for operation by the commissioner of railway safety from April and June respectively. “Once the sectional speed is increased to 130 kmph, the travel time of trains plying on Chennai - Jolarpettai (214 km) track will be cut by 10 to 15 minutes. Subsequently, the overall journey time between two cities will go down to less than 7 hours,” added the official.
Currently, the 495 km Chennai-Coimbatore section is served by two super express trains and a Shatabdi express during the day. The journey from Chennai to Coimbatore takes approximately 7.5 hours, while the return journey takes 8 hours. The Shatabdi express covers the distance in 7 hours. The permitted sectional speed is 110 kmph.
Similarly, the Chennai-Sengottai route is serviced by the Pothigai Express (daily) and Silambu Express (tri-weekly). The Pothigai express operates on the mainline through Tiruchy and Madurai, while the Silambu Express runs through Aruppukottai and Virudhunagar. Therefore, the introduction of the first train via Ambasamudram and Tenkasi has brought joy to the locals.
A Pandiaraja, a native of Tenkasi, who is also a member of the Madurai divisional rail users consultative committee, said, “The train timings should be planned keeping the convenience of the passengers in the Tenkasi - Tirunelveli section.” Sources added that the PM will also inaugurate the BG line between Thiruthuraipoondi - Agasthyamalai and two DEMU trains.
Lines awaiting safety clearance for operation
Official sources said civil works to reinforce the tracks have been completed and lines are expected to be cleared for operation by commissioner of railway safety from April and June respectively