NE BUSINESS BUREAU
CHENNAI, APR 8
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday flagged off Chennai – Coimbatore Vande Bharat Express from Puratchi Thalaivar Dr MG Ramachandran Central Station. This was the 13th Vande Bharat Express. Earlier, the Prime Minister, on his arrival at the station, interacted with the school children and other passengers onboard Vande Bharat and listened to their feedback about the prestigious train service.
- The Prime Minister, on his arrival at the station, interacts with the school children and other passengers onboard Vande Bharat and listens to their feedback about the prestigious train service.
- The passengers travelling in the inaugural run of the Vande Bharat Express were presented with a Souvenir Ticket to make their maiden trip memorable.
- Modi inaugurates Agasthiyampalli – Tiruturaipundi Broad Gauge section, flags off Tambaram-Sengottai Express
The wonderful cities of Chennai and Coimbatore have even better connectivity thanks to the Vande Bharat Express. Flagged off the train and also met young friends on the occasion. pic.twitter.com/srlIf91PlL
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) April 8, 2023
Tamil Nadu Governor RN. Ravi, Chief Minister MK Stalin, Hon’ble Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, Minister for Railways, Communications, Electronics & Information Technology Ashwini Vaishnaw, Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting, Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying Dr L Murugan, and other dignitaries participated in the function.
This inaugural special train of Chennai – Coimbatore Vande Bharat had stoppages at Perambur, Arakkonam, Gudiyatham, Vaniyambadi, Tirupattur, Morappur, Salem, Erode and Tiruppur. The train clocked 130 Kmph in Chennai – Jolarpettai section (where the authorized maximum permitted speed is 130 kmph).
At Puratchi Thalaivar Dr MG.Ramachandran Chennai Central, rail enthusiasts, school children and members of various passenger associations gathered in large numbers to catch a glimpse of the indigenously manufactured Vande Bharat rake. The passengers travelling in the inaugural run of the Vande Bharat Express were presented with a Souvenir Ticket to make their maiden trip memorable.
RN.Singh, General Manager, Southern Railway, Principal Heads of Departments, Ganesh, DRM, Chennai and other Officers and staff of Southern Railway also greeted the passengers.
There were 30 students from IIT, Madras of which some are doing their studies in 5G 6G Test Bed technology and some pursuing their studies in Hyper Loop technology. Further, Drawing/Poetry recital competitions were held in the first week of April 2023 commemorating the inaugural run of Chennai – Coimbatore Vande Bharat express. A total of 932 students from 13 schools participated. Fourteen students who were prize winners of these competitions along with IIT students got the opportunity to interact with Hon’ble Prime Minister onboard Vande Bharat.
Arrival/departure timings and stoppages of Regular service of Chennai-Coimbatore-Chennai Vande Bharat Express (Train No.20643/20644)
The regular services will commence on Sunday, 9th April 2023 – Bookings are already open
| TrainNo.20644
Coimbatore- Dr MGR Chennai Central Vande Bharat Express (Except Wednesday) |
↓ |
Station |
↑ | Train No. 20643 Dr MGR Chennai Central—Coimbatore Vande Bharat Express (Except Wednesday) |
| 06.00 | (d) | Coimbatore | (a) | 20.15 |
| 06.35/06.37 | (a/d) | Tirupur | (a/d) | 19.13/19.15 |
| 07.12/07.15 | (a/d) | Erode | (a/d) | 18.32/18.35 |
| 07.58/08.00 | (a/d) | Salem | (a/d) | 17.48/17.50 |
| 11.50 | (a) | Dr MGR Chennai Central | (d) | 14.25 |
Composition :Vande Bharat rake of 8 coaches
Inauguration of Agasthiyampalli – Tiruturaipundi Broad Gauge section
PM @narendramodi flagged off Tiruthuraipoondi – Agasthiyampalli DEMU rail through video conference in Tiruchirapalli Railway Division. @PMOIndia @narendramodi @AshwiniVaishnaw @raosahebdanve @DarshanaJardosh @RailMinIndia @GMSRailway @DRMTPJ @PIB_India pic.twitter.com/r0UZBKx7vk
— PIB in Tamil Nadu (@pibchennai) April 8, 2023
Later in the evening, the Prime Minister visited Alstom Cricket Ground at Pallavaram in Chennai and unveiled various road/rail projects. He inaugurated the 37 Km gauge converted section between Agashityampalli and Tiruturaipundi. Commissioned at a cost of Rs.294 crores, the BG section would serve as a catalyst to socio-economic development of Nagapattinam and Tiruvarur districts. Especially, the salt industries in and around Agasthiyampalli will get improved freight connectivity. The PM also flagged off a DEMU service between Tiruturaipundi and Agastiyampalli today. The newly introduced DEMU services will benefit students, traders, skilled and unskilled workforce in and around the coastal Nagapattinam regions while also serving Tiruvarur district people.
Regular services of DEMU trains in Tiruturaipundi – Agasthiyampalli – Tiruturaipundi section
| Train No. 76628 Tiruturaipundi-Agastiyampalli DEMU | Train No. 76630 Tiruturaipundi-Agastiyampalli DEMU | ↓ | Stations | ↑ | Train No. 76627 Agastiyampalli- Tiruturaipundi DEMU | Train No. 76629 Agastiyampalli- Tiruturaipundi DEMU |
| 06.45 | 15.30 | (d) | Tiruturaipundi | (a) | 08.50 | 17.35 |
| 07.03/07.04 | 15.48/15.49 | (a/d) | Kariyapattinam | ja/d) | 08.27/08.28 | 17.12/17.13 |
| 07.11/07.12 | 15.56/15.57 | (a/d) | Kuruvapulam | (a/d) | 08.19/08.20 | 17.04/17.05 |
| 07.16/07.17 | 16.01/16.02 | (a/d) | Neyvilakku | (a/d) | 08.14/08.15 | 16.59/17.00 |
| 07.23/07.24 | 16.08/16.09 | (a/d) | Topputurai | (a/d) | 08.07/08.08 | 16.52/16.53 |
| 07.29/07.30 | 16.14/16.15 | (a/d) | Vedaranyam | (a/d) | 08.01/08.02 | 16.46/16.47 |
| 07.40 | 16.25 | (a) | Agastiampalli | (d) | 07.55 | 16.40 |
PM flags off Tambaram-Sengottai Express
Prime Minister @narendramodi flagged off the Tambaram – Sengottai Express at Chennai.@PMOIndia @AshwiniVaishnaw @raosahebdanve @DarshanaJardosh @RailMinIndia @GMSRailway @DrmChennai @DRMTPJ @drmmadurai @PIB_India @DDNewslive @airnewsalerts pic.twitter.com/1Pb161HlKl
— PIB in Tamil Nadu (@pibchennai) April 8, 2023
The PM flagged off an Express train service between Tambaram and Sengottai today. The train service will provide direct connectivity to Chennai for remote stations in the delta districts of Thiruvarur, Thanjavur and for Ambasamudram in Tirunelveli district. This will also be the first regular train service from Chennai to Tiruvarur-Karaikudi section. This service will benefit students, employees, business persons and regular travellers and will also help boost tourism in the South portion of Western Ghats which is abound in scenic locations.
The details of timings and stoppages of the regular services of Train No.20683/20684 Tambaram – Sengottai – Tambaram Superfast Express trains are as follows:
| Train No. 20683 Tambaram -Sengottai Superfast Express(Sunday) |
Station |
Train No. 20684 Sengottai–Tambaram Superfast
Express(Monday) |
| 21.00 | Tambaram | 06.05 |
| 22.58/23.00 | Villupuram | 03.50/03.55 |
| 23.40/23.41 | Tiruppadiripuliyur | 02.51/02.52 |
| 01.10/01.12 | Mayiladuturai jn | 01.13/01.15 |
| 01.50/02.00 | Tiruvarur | 00.15/00.25 |
| 02.29/02.30 | Tiruturaipundi Jn | 23.37/23.39 |
| 02.58/03.00 | Muthupet | 23.09/23.10 |
| 03.26/03.28 | Pattukkottai | 22.43/22.45 |
| 04.10/104.11 | Arantangi | 21.57/21.58 |
| 04.58/05.00 | Karaikudi jn | 21.33/21.35 |
| 06.44/06.45 | Aruppukkottai | 19.43/19.45 |
| 07.13/07.15 | Virudunagar Jn | 19.18/19.20 |
| 08.50/08.55 | Tirunelveli Jn | 17.30/17.35 |
| 09.12/09.13 | Cheranmahadevi | 17.09/17.11 |
| 09.26/09.28 | Ambasamudram | 16.55/16.57 |
| 09.47109.49 | Pavurchatram | 16.38/16.40 |
| 10.07/10.10 | TenkasiJn | 16.26/16.28 |
| 10.50 | Sengottal | 16.15 |
Date of commencement of regular services
The above trains will be operated as Weekly services for a period of two months up to 29.05.2023.
With effect from 16.04.2023 ex. Tambaram (Sunday)
With effect from 17.04.2023 ex. Sengottai (Monday)
Advance booking for the above train services is open
The frequency of the service will be increased to tri-weekly from June 2023 onwards
With effect from 01.06.2023 ex. Tambaram on Sundays, Tuesdays & Thursdays
With effect from 02.06.2023 ex. Sengottai on Mondays, Wednesdays & Fridays
Composition : AC 2-tier – 2 coaches, AC 3-tier Economy – 5 coaches, Sleeper Class – 5 coaches, General II Class – 3 coaches, Luggage-cum-Brake Van – 2 coaches.
