CHENNAI: After lying idle for nearly four months, the Amrit Bharat rake, a non-AC high speed train, originally earmarked for Southern Railway (SR) to be introduced in highly-congested routes has been assigned to another zone.
The rake which had been stationed in Chennai since February was moved out on Monday. Along with it, five more rakes are expected to be inaugurated soon in other zones outside SR jurisdiction.
If sources are to be believed, SR considered three potential routes for the introduction of the Amrit Bharat Express — Tirunelveli–Shalimar, Tambaram–Santragachi, and Coimbatore–Gaya. The service is aimed to cater the long-distance travellers, especially benefiting migrant workers by offering limited halts compared to regular express trains.
Currently, general class coaches on trains heading to Howrah, Guwahati, Gaya, and Patna operate with overcrowded passengers throughout the year. Similarly, regular express trains like the Howrah, Sanghamitra, and Coromandel expresses also record 150%-160% occupancy year-round.
SR officials said that the initial rake allocation following manufacturing is provisional and subject to change until a formal approval is granted by the Railway Board. “If we miss out now, Southern Railway may receive another rake from the coach manufacturing unit anytime soon. Even if a rake is earmarked for the zone, it can only be put into service after Railway Board approval,” an official stated.
In February, the Integral Coach Factory (ICF) handed over a 22-coach Amrit Bharat rake to SR, comprising 12 sleeper coaches, eight general coaches, and two luggage vans, as per the Railway Board’s manufacturing plan.
Subsequently, in March, the Railway Board ordered the transfer of four WAP-5 locomotives from Ghaziabad (Northern Railway) to the Royapuram electric loco shed. These high-speed locomotives, capable of running at 130 kmph, are intended to support the new service.
Naveen Chander, a rail enthusiast, said, “Thousands of migrant workers from different parts of Tamil Nadu — such as Vellore, Tiruvannamalai, Tiruchy, Villupuram, and Madurai — travel to Howrah or Santragachi every week. However, there has been only one weekly train from southern Tamil Nadu and two from the northern regions. This section requires additional services to ease the overcrowding, as migrant workers often occupy reserved coaches for the entire journey.”