Prime Minister Narendra Modi will virtually flag off three Vande Bharat Express trains from Delhi on August 31. These trains will operate on the routes from Meerut to Lucknow, Chennai to Nagercoil, and Bengaluru to Madurai, significantly enhancing travel time and comfort on these major routes. Southern Railway shared this information on Friday. According to an official release, the Prime Minister will flag off the Dr. MGR Chennai Central-Nagercoil Vande Bharat Express and the Madurai-Bengaluru Cantonment Vande Bharat Express through a video conference.
Meerut City-Lucknow Route: The travel time on this route will be reduced by approximately one hour compared to the current fastest train, offering quicker travel between the two cities. This initiative aligns with the Prime Minister's 'Make in India' and Aatmanirbhar Bharat vision, aimed at improving rail connectivity with state-of-the-art trains.
Chennai Egmore-Nagercoil Route: The Vande Bharat Express to Nagercoil will depart from Dr. MGR Chennai Central station only on its inaugural day. However, its regular service will commence from Chennai Egmore and will operate every day except Wednesday. Train number 20627 Vande Bharat Express will leave Chennai Egmore at 5:00 AM and reach Nagercoil at 1:50 PM on the same day. The train will make stops at Tambaram, Villupuram, Tiruchirappalli, Dindigul, Madurai, Kovilpatti, and Tirunelveli before arriving at Nagercoil Junction. For the return journey, train number 20628 will depart from Nagercoil Junction at 2:20 PM and reach Chennai Egmore at 11:00 PM.
Madurai-Bengaluru Route: The Vande Bharat Express between Madurai and Bengaluru Cantonment will operate six days a week, excluding Tuesday. As train number 20671, it will depart from Madurai at 5:15 AM and reach Bengaluru Cantonment at 1:00 PM. The return journey will depart from Bengaluru Cantonment at 1:30 PM and arrive in Madurai at 9:45 PM, with stops at Dindigul, Tiruchirappalli, Karur, Namakkal, Salem, and Krishnarajapuram on both sides.
Vande Bharat Trains: These indigenously built, semi-high-speed, self-propelled trains are equipped with state-of-the-art passenger amenities, offering a comfortable and convenient travel experience. Designed to run at speeds of up to 160 km/h, they are equipped with modern features such as GPS-based passenger information systems, onboard Wi-Fi, and CCTV cameras for enhanced safety. There is growing demand for the introduction of sleeper class Vande Bharat trainsets, capable of operating on long-distance routes like Delhi-Mumbai and Delhi-Howrah. Currently, all operational Vande Bharat trains have only Chair Car and Executive Chair Car classes, catering primarily to short-distance routes.