HYDERABAD: Rail connectivity between Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu is set to improve with a new Amrit Bharat Express likely to be introduced by the end of March between Cherlapalli near Hyderabad and Nagercoil in Tamil Nadu.
The proposed weekly service will operate with sleeper and general second class coaches. According to railway officials, the train will provide direct connectivity from Hyderabad to several key towns and pilgrimage centres across Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. The route is expected to include stations such as Kumbakonam, Chidambaram, Tambaram, Chennai, Nellore, Ongole, Chirala, Bapatla, Tenali, Guntur, Miryalaguda and Nalgonda.
Currently, two Amrit Bharat Express services operate from Cherlapalli. One connects Muzaffarpur in Bihar with Hyderabad (15293/94), introduced in September 2025, while another links Thiruvananthapuram in Kerala with the city (17041/42), launched in January this year.
Another service, the Jogbani–Erode Amrit Bharat Express (16601/02), introduced in September 2025, also passes through the Telugu states, including Mancherial, Warangal, Khammam, Vijayawada, Ongole, Gudur and Naidupeta.