CHENNAI: In the late 2000, when premium trains like Shatabdi Express were introduced, the most sought-after superfast trains, including Kovai and Brindavan Express, saw an increase in travel time. Similarly, with the introduction of Tirunelveli-Chennai Vande Bharat Express, Chennai-Madurai Vaigai Express will take 15 more minutes to reach its destination from October 1, as per the National Train Enquiry System (NTES) portal, an official site of the railway.
With the new timetable coming into effect, other popular trains like Pandiyan, Podhigai, Kanniyakumari, Pearl City, and Nellai Express will also experience 10 to 15-minute delays, according to the site. While Vande Bharat will complete its journey in just five hours and 50 minutes and Tejas Express will take six hours and 15 minutes, the average travel duration for SF trains in the Chennai-Madurai section will be seven hours and 45 minutes. Nevertheless, Southern Railway officials stay tight-lipped and have not announced the updated train schedules yet.
Vaigai Express, which currently starts from Madurai at 7:10 AM will be rescheduled to 6:40 AM and it will reach Chennai Egmore at 2:10 PM instead of the usual 2:25 PM. This change in schedule involves an additional five minutes between Villupuram and Chengalpattu and an extra 10 minutes between Mambalam and Chennai Egmore.
Likewise, on the return journey, the train will experience a delay of five minutes between Tiruchy and Manapparai and an additional 10 minutes from Sholavandan to Madurai junction. While official sources said the timetable change was made considering terminal constraints and other operational reasons, a section of rail passengers drew parallels with the national transporter’s strategy to promote Shatabdi trains over a decade back.
S Vivekananthan, a rail enthusiast said, “Considering the extensive work completed in the Chennai-Madurai section, a reduction in travel time was expected. The rescheduling appears to be a strategy of the railways to promote ridership in premium trains.”
The Chennai-Coimbatore Kovai Express was once one of the fastest trains, covering 497 km in less than seven hours. However, after the introduction of Shatabdi Express, it reached Chennai between 10:25 PM and 10:40 PM, more than 30 minutes delayed from the earlier time. Similarly, Brindavan Express used to take less than five hours to Bengaluru, which is six hours now.
Another rail enthusiast, S Raja Pandiyan, said huge amounts of public funds were being invested in track upgradation. “However, such works seem to be benefiting premier trains, whose ticket fares are ten to 15 times higher than regular SF trains. This is a misuse of public funds,” he added.