Good news for Indian Railways passengers! India is all set to get another Vande Bharat Express train. Nearly four months after the electrification-cum-track-doubling works in the Madurai – Tirunelveli section got completed, the 26th Vande Bharat Express is going to hit rails between Chennai and Tirunelveli in the first week of August.
The blue and white color train is likely to be launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on August 6. Notably, this semi-high-speed train will be the third Vande Bharat Express introduced in Tamil Nadu. The other two Vande Bharat trains operating in Tamil Nadu are – Chennai and Mysuru Vande Bharat Express on November 22 and Chennai and Coimbatore Vande Bharat Express on April 8.
According to Railway officials, passengers who travel on this high-speed train can save up to two hours compared to regular express trains.
“The introduction of Vande Bharat is a boon to Chennai-bound passengers from Tirunelveli and Virudhunagar districts. Not only will this reduce the demand for night trains, but also offer faster connectivity to the southern region,” said an official from Madurai division.
Faster train on Chennai-Tirunelveli route
This will be the faster train on the Chennai and Tirunelveli route. As of now, Nellai Express takes around 10.40 hours and Kanniyakumari and Nagercoil Express take around 11 hours to cover the same distance.
Chennai-Nellai Vande Bharat Express timings, distance
The eight-car train originating from Tirunelveli in the morning will arrive at Chennai Egmore by afternoon, covering a distance of 650 km in eight hours.
Chennai-Nellai Vande Bharat Express stoppages
The train is scheduled to make stops at Virudhunagar, Madurai and Tiruchy stations.