Nellie to Chennai: Vande Bharat Train to Operate Soon
The people of Tirunelveli in Tamil Nadu are overjoyed as it has been announced that the Vande Bharat train will soon be operating on the Tirunelveli-Chennai route. This news came as an additional piece of information alongside the announcement that the next set of Vande Bharat coaches will be allotted to the Southern Railway.
The Southern Railway currently operates Vande Bharat trains on three routes in the Southern Railway Zone, namely Chennai-Mysore, Chennai-Coimbatore, and Thiruvananthapuram-Kasaragod. With the addition of the Tirunelveli-Chennai route, it is expected that the revenue generated from the Chennai-Nellie train will significantly increase. Additionally, the people of the southern districts will benefit from an additional train service and a daytime train service.
Union Minister of State L Murugan recently confirmed the operation of the Vande Bharat train between Chennai and Nellie. Social media platforms were flooded with a purported schedule for the Tirunelveli-Chennai Vande Bharat train, stating that it will depart from Tirunelveli in the morning, leave Chennai in the afternoon, depart from Chennai in the afternoon, and arrive at Tirunelveli at night.
A member of the Southern Railway Zonal Advisory Committee mentioned that this will be the first time the Vande Bharat train with modern facilities will operate between Chennai and Nellie. This development will significantly reduce the travel time between Chennai and the southern districts. However, improvements to the Dindigul-Madurai-Nellie track are necessary to achieve a speed of 1330 km, allowing the Vande Bharat train to complete the journey in just 7 hours.
The Vande Bharat train running between Nellie and Chennai will offer two classes of travel – AC seat car and economy seat car. The fares for these classes include food for the passengers. To ensure the smooth maintenance of the Vande Bharat train at Nellie, the pit line at Nellie junction is being improved, along with the construction of an electric line for charging and maintaining the coaches.
Despite the promising developments, there is a need for a 6th platform at Nellai Junction railway station. Currently, there are only 5 platforms, with the 6th platform functioning as a cargo landing rail. Officials have confirmed that plans are underway to upgrade it to a proper platform, and the work will be carried out soon.
As of now, the maintenance works of the Vande Bharat train are expected to be completed by July. It is anticipated that the Vande Bharat train will begin operating between Chennai and Nellie in August, as announced by the railways. With these exciting developments, the people of Tirunelveli eagerly await the launch of the Vande Bharat train service, which will provide them with a faster and more convenient mode of transportation to Chennai.