Plea to reschedule departure of Coimbatore – Chennai Vande Bharat Express
The Minority Wing of the Erode Congress Committee has urged the railways to reschedule the departure of Vande Bharat Express, proposed to run between Coimbatore and Chennai.
In a letter to the General Manager of Southern Railway, Chennai, K.N. Basha, vice-president of Minority Wing and former member of Zonal Railway User’s Consultative Committee, said that Train Number 20644 Coimbatore – MGR Chennai Central Vande Bharat Express will depart from Coimbatore at 6 a.m., reach Tiruppur at 6.30 a.m., Erode at 7.17 a.m., Salem at 8.08 a.m. and Chennai at 12.10 p.m. The train has no stoppages at Jolarpettai and Katpadi junctions. Train No. 12680 Coimbatore – Chennai Intercity Express departs from Coimbatore at 6.15 a.m. and reaches Chennai at 2 p.m. “The difference in departure of the two trains is only 15 minutes,” the letter said.
Likewise, Train No. 22638 Mangalore – Chennai Central Express departs from Coimbatore at 7.25 a.m. and reaches Erode at 9.10 a.m. and arrives at Chennai at 3 p.m. After this Train No. 13352 Alappuzha – Dhanbad Express train departs from Coimbatore at noon. “Since there is no train to Chennai for over four hours, the proposed Vande Bharat Express should be operated between 9 a.m. to 10 a.m.,” the letter said.
The railways had also announced that Train No. 20643 Chennai to Coimbatore Vande Bharat Express would depart from Chennai at 2.20 p.m. to reach Coimbatore at 8.20 p.m. Train No. 12679 Chennai – Coimbatore Intercity Express departs from Chennai at 2.30 p.m. to reach Coimbatore at 10 p.m. Hence, the departure time of Chennai to Coimbatore Vande Bharat Express should also be changed, the letter said.
Chennai-Coimbatore Vande Bharat Express to reach destination in six hours and 10 minutes
The second Vande Bharat Express sanctioned for Southern Railway indicates its tentative starting time from Coimbatore at 6 a.m., and time of reach at Chennai at 12.10 p.m., encompassing three proposed stoppages en route and entailing overall travel time of six hours and 10 minutes.
The first Vande Bharat train in Southern Zone was flagged off between Chennai and Mysuru via Bengaluru on November 11, 2022.
An internal communication purportedly sent by the Southern Railway to the Railway Headquarters (for approval) depicts the arrival/departure timings of the train (No.20643) at the three stations en route: Tiruppur - 6.30 a.m./ 6.40 a.m., Erode - 7.17 a.m./ 7.20 a.m., and Salem - 8.08 a.m./ 8.10 a.m.
In the return direction, the train is scheduled for start from Chennai at 2.20 p.m. and reach Coimbatore Junction at 8.30 p.m., with the three stoppages en route: Salem Junction - 6.03 p.m./ 06.05 p.m., Erode - 7.02 p.m./ 7.05 p.m., and Tiruppur - 7.43 p.m./ 7.45 p.m.
The train will run at a speed of 80.31 km per hour, and will be operated on all days except Wednesdays, the internal communication which was widely circulated on social media platforms said.
According to Railway sources, the tentative timings and proposed stoppages mentioned in the internal communication, though probable, are subject to change or modification. It has been officially announced that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the Chennai-Coimbatore Vande Bharat Express on April 8.
The Vande Bharat Express is set to be the second day-time train to Chennai from Coimbatore. The Coimbatore-Chennai inter-city express departs at 6.15 a.m. and reaches Chennai at 1.50 p.m., and in the return direction, departs at 2.30 p.m. to reach Coimbatore at 10.15 p.m.
The Chennai-Coimbatore Shatabdi Express starts at 7.10 a.m. to reach Coimbatore at 2.15 p.m., with a waiting time of 40 minutes. In the return direction, the train starts at 3.05 p.m. and reaches Chennai at 10.05 p.m.
Green flag for Delhi-Ajmer Vande Bharat Express soon
Additionally, a new Vande Bharat Express train is expected to start on the Delhi-Jaipur-Ajmer route, covering the 250 km distance in under three hours. However, the railway minister has stated that technical changes are required before the Vande Bharat Express train can begin running on this route.
Other routes on which Vande Bharat Express currently runs
There are 10 Vande Bharat Express train routes in India, namely New Delhi-Varanasi, New Delhi-Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra, Gandhi Nagar Capital-Mumbai Central, Amb Andaura-New Delhi, Chennai Central-Mysore, Bilaspur-Nagpur, New Jalpaiguri-Howrah, Secunderabad-Visakhapatnam, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (Mumbai)-Solapur, and Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (Mumbai)-Shirdi.
The new train will boost connectivity to key business and urban centres of Tamil Nadu. Chennai and Coimbatore are important industrial, commercial and residential real estate markets in the region.
Chennai-Coimbatore Vande Bharat
Currently, the Chennai-Coimbatore section is served by two super express trains and a Shatabdi express during the day. The 495 km journey from Chennai to Coimbatore takes approximately 7.5 hours, while the return journey takes 8 hours. The Shatabdi express takes 7 hours to cover the distance.
The train will have chair car coaches and will be a premium service on the route along with the Shatabdi express. The stoppages of the train are yet to be deicded. The Shatabdi train currently has four enroute stops.
Southern Railway had already identified Coimbatore or Madurai as the route for the next Vande Bharat service from Chennai. Railways want to introduce more Vande Bharat service on routes that can be covered using trains with chair car coaches.
Express train on Tambaram-Sengottai
The express train to Sengottai will enable a direct link to Chennai on the Tenkasi - Ambasamudran - Tirunelveli sector. This comes 11 years after it was converted into a broad gauge line. The new service will run on the main line via Thiruvarur, Karaikudi and Tenkasi.
PM Modi's last visit to Tamil Nadu was on November 11, 2022, to participate in the Gandhigram Trust's platinum jubilee functions and the convocation ceremony of Gandhigram Rural Institute (deemed university) in Dindigul.
FAQs
1 What is the Vande Bharat Express train?
The Vande Bharat Express is a semi-high-speed train that operates on select routes in India. It is known for its speed, comfort, and advanced features like automatic doors.
2 What is the cost of Vande Bharat Express train?
The ticket for executive chair car is priced at Rs 2,065 whereas AC chair car is around Rs 1,155.
