Chennai: The Railways has announced a brand-new Chennai – Nagercoil – Chennai Vande Bharat express and this can be of great help to Malayali passengers. The train, which will be flagged off on August 31 is likely to benefit the passengers to Kerala’s southern districts, especially Thiruvananthapuram. They could get down at Nagercoil and take a bus back home or travel to Kerala in private vehicles.
Easy to reach Kerala
The new Vande Bharat will run services on all days except Wednesdays. The train that departs Chennai Egmore station at 5 am will reach Nagercoil by 1.50 pm. The return journey begins at 2.20 pm and reaches Egmore at 11 pm. This train will stop at Vizhuppuram, Tiruchirappalli, Dindigul, Madurai, Kovilpetti and Thirunelveli stations. The bookings for the new Vande Bharat train haven’t opened yet but it is likely to begin soon. Even though the train from Nagercoil to Kerala is only in the evenings, the passengers can reach home by road. This train would be helpful for Keralites, especially when the tickets on the trains from Chennai via Palakkad and in the KSRTC buses are sold out.
Thirunelveli route
Meanwhile, in the Vande Bharat from Chennai to Thirunelveli, tickets are available only on September 11. Besides, only eight seats remain vacant in the chair car. The tickets booked on the following days are still on the waiting list. This train starts from Chennai at 2.50 pm and reaches Thirunelveli by 10.40 pm. The passengers could then catch the Palaruvi Express from here at 11.30 pm to reach Punalur at 3 am. This train has stops at Kottarakkara (3.23 am), Kundara (3.37 am), Kollam (4.45 am), Karunagapally (5.25 am), Chengannur (6.08 am), Thiruvalla (6.19 am) and Kottayam (6.55 am). If the tickets in other trains are sold out, then passengers could take the Palaruvi Express to reach Kerala. Meanwhile, there are 5 tickets up for grabs in the executive coach of the Vande Bharat to Coimbatore on September 12. The train departs Chennai at 2.15 pm and reaches Coimbatore at 8.15 pm. The passengers could then catch a train or bus to reach places like Palakkad, Ernakulam and Thrissur. However, tickets are completely sold out on the trains to the Malabar side.
More buses on road
Around 150 State Express Transport buses with more advanced facilities have been launched to run services in the state. From Chennai, services are available to Coimbatore, Kanyakumari and also to the districts that border Kerala. These BS 6 buses have mobile phone charging points, SOS buttons for emergencies, announcement facilities as well a fire detection facility.
