Bangalore-Chennai Shatabdi from July

Bangalore-Chennai Shatabdi from July
New Indian Express

BANGALORE: Come July and the much-awaited Shatabdi Express from Bangalore to Chennai will make its maiden run.

Announced in this year’s Railway Budget, the train had been on passengers’ wishlist for a long time. Like the Mysore-Bangalore-Chennai Shatabdi, the new train will run six days a week.

Tentative timings -- train will leave Bangalore City station at 6 a.m. to reach Chennai by 11 a.m. It will again start from Chennai at 6 p.m. and reach Bangalore by 11 p.m.

‘‘We are very keen to run the Shatabdi soon and preparations are on full swing. Chennai is one of the most popular destinations for the city, so the Shatabdi will cater to the increasing number of people. The idea is that it should run a round trip each day,’’ Divisional Railway Manager Mahesh Kumar told this website’s newspaper.

In addition to the Shatabdi, other new trains and extensions will be introduced. The frequency of the Bangalore-Howrah Express will be increased from bi-weekly at present to daily, from July.

‘‘The train comes under Eastern Railways, but they are very eager to make the change as soon as possible,’’ Kumar said. A weekly train from Bangalore City to Ernakulam, which comes under Southern Railways, would also be introduced, he added.

Also in the pipeline are two trains between Yeshwanthpur and Mangalore, awaiting completion of the Mangalore-Hassan gauge conversion, which has a deadline of July.

‘‘Once these trains are operational, they will establish a direct rail link between Bangalore and Mangalore and will create an effective East-West connection through the Chennai-Bangalore-Mangalore route.’’

Railways is also considering extending some of the summer special trains for a few more months, especially those to Ajmer, Guwahati, Chennai and Mysore.