COIMBATORE: The trial run of Vande Bharat Express from Chennai to Coimbatore, was conducted on Thursday. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will flag off the train, the first in Southern Railway on April 8. The train will have eight coaches including one executive coach and can accommodate 530 people.
On Thursday, the train left Chennai at 5.40 am, and reached Coimbatore Junction at 11.18 am, 22 minutes ahead of the scheduled time of 11.40 am, covering the distance in five hours and 38 minutes. According to sources, the train will leave Chennai at 5.40 am and reach Coimbatore Junction at 11.40 am. It will stop at Jolarpettai (8 am), Salem (9.15 am), Erode (10.05 am) and Tirupur (10.45 am). The train from Coimbatore will depart at 12.40 pm.
Meanwhile, the Federation of Coimbatore Industries Associations, an umbrella body of 20 industrial associations, has urged Southern Railway to reschedule the train. The outfit suggested that the train be operated from Chennai at 5 pm instead of 2.20 pm.
“Operating the train in the evening from Chennai will help businessmen to catch the train after completing official work in the capital,” the trade body said in a statement.