Vande Bharat Express being operated in the Coimbatore - Chennai Central - Coimbatore sector will, on October 25, be completing 200 days since its inception, with cent percent occupancy for the commercial run, much to the elation of the travelling public in the region.
The train is being operated with many wait-listed tickets ever since it was launched on April 8, 2023, by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Chennai Central, going by the booking data.
All tickets for the very first day of regular run of Vande Bharat Express between Coimbatore and Chennai Central, in fact, were booked within three hours of the start of the process, days in advance. The fares of ₹2,310 for Executive Chair Car (56 seats) and ₹1,215 for Chair Car (450 seats) did not matter for train travellers from the industrial city, as the train could cover the journey in less than six hours.
Initially, the Railway Board had fixed the duration for six hours and 10 minutes, and decided to reduce the duration by 20 minutes, apparently after the train covered the duration for covering the 495-km distance in five hours and 30 minutes, according to official circles.
The Vande Bharat (Train no. 20644) Coimbatore - Chennai service departs at 6 a.m., and reaches Tiruppur at 6.35 a.m., Erode at 7.12 a.m., Salem at 7.58 a.m., and Chennai Central at 11.50 a.m. In the return direction, the Chennai Central - Coimbatore service (No. 20643) departs at 2.25 p.m, and reaches the destination at 8.15 p.m.
Fixing a speed of 130 km per hour in the Chennai - Jolarpet section and subsequently in the Arakonam - Jolarpettai section helped in reducing the travelling duration, according to the Southern Railway.
The train is being operated with two-minute stoppages in Tiruppur and Salem, and three-minute stoppage at Erode in both directions. The primary maintenance of the train with rake of eight coaches is being carried out in Coimbatore.
The Vande Bharat Express is the second day-time train to Chennai from Coimbatore. The Coimbatore-Chennai inter-city express departs at 6.15 a.m. and reaches Chennai at 1.50 p.m., and in the return direction, departs at 2.30 p.m. to reach Coimbatore at 10.15 p.m.
However, the advantage of Vande Bharat Express is the waiting time of a little more than two and a half hours at Chennai Central, enabling passengers to complete their work in the capital city and return the same day.
Citing the overwhelming patronage to the Vande Bharat Express, former member of DRUCC (Divisional Railway Users Consultative Committee) and Director of Kongu Global Forum J. Satish emphasised that the Railway Ministry must consider the demand of passengers from western Tamil Nadu for Vande Bharat express to Bengaluru, Mangalore, and Thiruvananthapuram. Also, an additional train (apart from the Shatabdi Express) departing in the morning from Chennai to Coimbatore will be patronised well, he said.
Published - October 21, 2023 07:49 pm IST
