New tri-weekly express to Mangalore from Thursday

The new tri-weekly day express between Kochuveli and Mangalore will be flagged off by the Union Minister of State for Railways E. Ahmed, from Thiruvananthapuram Central on Thursday.

While the inaugural special will leave from Thiruvananthapuram Central Station, the regular service will originate and terminate from Kochuveli. This is one of the eight long-distance mails and express trains announced at the Union Railway Budget for the State.

Though it was announced by the Union Railway Minsiter Mamata Banerjee, that the day train in the Mangalore-Thiruvananthapuram-Mangalore sector will operate daily, the lack of facilities and non-availability of path had forced the railways to operate the train as a tri-weekly and shift it from Thiruvananthapuram to Kochuveli.

Regular service of the train will commence from Mangalore on September 13 and from Kochuveli on September 14. The 6606 Kochuveli-Mangalore Express will leave from Kochuveli at 3.45 a.m. on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, and will reach Mangalore at 5.30 p.m. In the return direction, the 6605 Mangalore-Kochuveli Express will leave from Mangalore at 7.15 a.m. on Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday and will reach Kochuveli at 9.30 p.m.

According to the railways, the 6606/66805 train will have stoppages at Varkala, Kollam, Kayankulam, Alappuzha, Ernakulam Junction, Thrissur, Shoranur, Kuttipuram, Tirur, Parpanangadi, Vallikunnu, Ferok, Kozhikode, Quilandi, Payyoli, Vadakara, Mahe, Thalassery, Kannur, Valapattanam, Payyanur, Charavattur, Kanhangad, Kasaragod and Manjeswar stations.

The train will have one Air-conditioned Chair car, four second-class Chair cars, six general second class and two luggage-cum-second class coaches. Reservation for the trains has already commenced. The inaugural special will leave Thiruvananthapuram Central at 10.30 a.m. and will reach Mangalore at 11.55p.m.