PM Modi to flag off Chennai-Nagercoil, Madurai-Bengaluru Vande Bharat trains

CHENNAI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate two new Vande Bharat Express services for Southern Railway through video conferencing on Saturday (August 31) --- the Chennai – Nagercoil and Madurai – Bengaluru Cantonment Vande Bharat trains.

R N Ravi, Governor of Tamil Nadu, L Murugan, Union Minister of State for Information & Broadcasting and Parliamentary Affairs, elected representatives and other officials will be present to flag off the Chennai – Nagercoil Vande Bharat inaugural special train.

While the inaugural run of the special train will be flagged off from Dr MGR Chennai Central, its regular service will commence from Chennai Egmore railway station.

Train No 02627 Dr MGR Chennai Central – Nagercoil inaugural special train will leave Dr MGR Chennai Central at 12.30 pm on Saturday and reach Nagercoil at 9.30 pm the same day.

Meanwhile, at the Madurai Junction at the Dr MGR Chennai Central railway station, V Somanna, Union Minister of State for Railways and Jal Shakti along with elected representatives, will participate in the flagging-off event of the Madurai – Bengaluru Cantonment Vande Bharat inaugural special train.

Train No 02671 Madurai – Bengaluru Cantonment Vande Bharat inaugural special will leave Madurai Jn at 12.30 pm on Saturday and reach Bengaluru Cantonment at 9.30 pm the same day.

Regular services of both Vande Bharat Express trains will be operated from September 2.

Train No 20627 Chennai Egmore – Nagercoil Vande Bharat Express will depart from Chennai Egmore at 05.00 am starting Monday and reach Nagercoil at 1.50 pm, on the same day. It will not run on Wednesdays.

In the return direction, Train No 20628 Nagercoil – Chennai Egmore Vande Bharat Express will leave Nagercoil at 2.20 pm on and from Monday and reach Chennai Egmore at 11.00 pm, on the same day. It will not run on Wednesdays.

The train will have stoppages at Tambaram, Tiruchirapalli, and Dindigul in both directions. It consists of a Vande Bharat rake of 16 coaches.

The chair car fare in the new Vande Bharat train from Chennai Egmore to Nagercoil will be Rs 1,760 while the executive chair car fare in the Vande Bharat will be Rs 3,240, inclusive of catering charges.

On the other hand, Train No 20671 Madurai – Bengaluru Cantonment – Madurai Vande Bharat Express will leave Madurai Jn at 05.15 am on Monday and reach Bengaluru Cantonment at 1.00 pm the same day. It will not run on Tuesdays.

In the return direction, Train No 20672 Bengaluru Cantonment – Madurai Vande Bharat Express will leave Bengaluru Cantonment at 1.30 pm on Monday and reach Madurai at 9.45 pm, on the same day. The train will have stoppages at Tiruchirapalli, Namakkal, and Salem on both sides. Coach composition will be a Vande Bharat rake of 8 coaches.

The chair car fare for the journey from Madurai to Bengaluru Cantonment will be Rs 1,575 and the executive chair car fare will be Rs 2,865, inclusive of catering charges.

Advance bookings for both Vande Bharat special trains will open shortly, said a Southern Railway statement.