Uday Express coaches to run on Bengaluru section

The coaches left Chennai Central as a special fare train (No. 06075) at 2.05 pm and were expected to reach Coimbatore around 10.40 pm.  

The Railways, however, was non-committal on the exact date of launch of the service from Coimbatore. “The Railways doesn’t want to commit on the launch date due to the upcoming Assembly elections in Karnataka,” said an official, preferring anonymity. 

The double-decker train, with eight coaches and four pantry cars, will have colourful exteriors and swanky interiors. The coaches will also have Wi-Fi and GPS-based Passenger Information System through LCD display, besides modular toilets. The speed trial of the Uday Express, conducted between Coimbatore and Somanayakkanpatti near Vellore in December 2017 was termed successful. 

A direct train to Bengaluru from Coimbatore has been a persistent demand from IT professionals, industrialists and the public. Due to lack of proper train connectivity, those employed in IT firms in Bengaluru were forced to pay huge amounts of money to travel by private buses. 

“Omni buses charge up to Rs 1,000 for a oneway journey during the festival time. To save money, we cut the number of trips to our hometown. Trains would provide us a comfortable option at an affordable cost. So, the Railways should speed up the process and launch the train at the earliest,” said S Venkat, a marketing professional.