CHENNAI: To cater to the growing demand for travel to Jodhpur and other parts of Rajasthan, Southern Railway is launching a new train service from Chennai to Bhagat Ki Kothi, located about 3.5 km from Jodhpur, a major tourist hub.
The new service will operate five days a week and is expected to reduce the black-market sale of Rajasthan-bound tickets, which are often sold by travel agents allegedly at a premium of Rs 2,000 to Rs 3,000 above the regular fare.
Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw will flag off the inaugural special train on Saturday. Regular operations will commence on May 5 from Chennai Central and May 7 from Bhagat Ki Kothi.
Currently, Jodhpur is connected by a weekly train to four key destinations in Tamil Nadu — Chennai Egmore, Tiruchy, Rameswaram and Coimbatore. However, many Rajasthan natives who migrated to Tamil Nadu 50-60 years ago and have since settled across the state face significant travel challenges due to the lack of a daily service. The Chennai-Jodhpur and Chennai-Jaipur routes frequently experience huge demand, especially during festivals and summer holidays, resulting in ticket shortage.
A Uttam Kumar, a resident of Mannady, shared his experience: “Due to the high demand, I used to send my staff to queue up from 6 am at the ticket counter to book Tatkal tickets to Jodhpur. During summer, I often paid travel agents an extra Rs 2,000 to Rs 3,000 for AC tickets.”
According to an official release, the new train will depart from Chennai Central at 7.45 pm on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays, arriving at Bhagat Ki Kothi at 12.15 pm on the third day. In the return direction, it will leave Bhagat Ki Kothi at 5.30 am on Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays, reaching Chennai at 11.15 pm on the next day.
The train will consist of the following coaches: 2 AC two-tier, 4 AC three-tier, 4 AC three-tier economy, 6 sleeper class, 4 general second-class, 1 second-class coach equipped for passengers with disabilities, and 1 luggage-cum-brake van.
Nagercoil Vande Bharat to run with 20-car rake
Chennai: To manage the extra rush, the railways has decided to augment the Chennai Egmore-Nagercoil Vande Bharat Express with four extra chair car coaches starting from May 8. Currently operating with a 16-coach rake, the train will be upgraded to a 20-coach configuration, according to a statement from the Railways.