South Central Railway has announced the regularisation of the Charlapalli-Tiruchchirappalli weekly special train service, converting it into a regular express train with new train numbers 17077 and 17078.
The existing special service, earlier operated as Train No. 07615/07616, will now run as the Charlapalli-Tiruchchirappalli-Charlapalli Weekly Express from July 2026, improving long-distance rail connectivity between Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu.
Weekly service to begin from July 2026
According to the South Erailway notification, Train No. 17077 Charlapalli-Tiruchchirappalli Weekly Express will commence service from July 7, 2026, departing Charlapalli every Tuesday at 17:20 hrs.
In the return direction, Train No. 17078 Tiruchchirappalli-Charlapalli Weekly Express will begin operations from July 8, 2026, departing Tiruchchirappalli every Wednesday at 21:30 hrs.
The train will pass through several important stations including Nalgonda, Guntur, Nellore, Tirupati, Katpadi, Villupuram and Srirangam before reaching Tiruchchirappalli.
Multi-state connectivity across southern India
The regularisation of the service is expected to benefit passengers travelling between Telangana and Tamil Nadu, while also providing direct rail connectivity to major towns and pilgrimage centres along the route.
Key stops on the route include Tirupati, Vellore Cantt, Tiruvannamalai, Ongole, Gudur and Renigunta, making the train useful for both long-distance passengers and regional travellers.
Coach composition includes AC, sleeper and general coaches
The express train will operate with a mixed coach composition catering to different categories of passengers.
According to South Central Railway, the rake will include:
3 AC Two-Tier coaches
5 AC Three-Tier coaches
10 Sleeper Class coaches
4 General Second Class coaches
2 Divyangjan-friendly Second Class coaches
The inclusion of reserved and unreserved accommodation is aimed at serving a broad passenger base across the corridor.
Reservations opens
Advance reservation booking for the newly regularised weekly express service opened from 08:00 hrs on May 26, 2026, from the Southern Railway end.
The move comes amid increasing demand for direct inter-state rail services connecting Telangana with key destinations in Tamil Nadu and coastal Andhra Pradesh.
Passengers travelling on the route are expected to benefit from improved travel continuity without relying on temporary special train notifications.