Breaking new ground in Indian railway history, the inaugural night service of the Vande Bharat train will commence its journey between Chennai and Bengaluru today, November 20th.
As revealed by the Southern Railway, the Vande Bharat Special train is set to depart from Chennai MGR Central Railway Station at 5:15 pm today, arriving at SMVT Bengaluru by 10 pm on the same day. The return journey from Yeshwanthpur will commence at 11 pm on November 21st, reaching Chennai MGR Central Railway Station at 4:30 am on Wednesday.
This exceptional train service, strategically introduced to accommodate the surge in travelers during festivities, will traverse the Chennai-Bengaluru route in a record 5.30 hours.
Highlighting the uniqueness of this initiative, a senior official of the Southern Railway stated, "No other railway zones in the country currently offer the Vande Bharat special night train service. However, gauging the positive response garnered by the Vande Bharat special train between Chennai and Tirunelveli, we aim to solicit passenger feedback on overnight journeys in a seated configuration. A dedicated night special train will be launched based on this input."
Traditionally, Indian Railways operate sleeper class and AC coach trains for overnight journeys, making this Vande Bharat night service a pioneering endeavor.
Tamil Nadu, specifically, boasts three Vande Bharat services in operation. Initially connecting Chennai to Mysuru and Chennai to Coimbatore, the Vande Bharat train service was subsequently extended to facilitate travel between Chennai and Tirunelveli, catering to the commuting needs of southern Tamil Nadu districts.
Currently, a total of 34 Vande Bharat trains are operational nationwide, with this latest addition aiming to provide convenience and swift connectivity to passengers traveling between Chennai and Bengaluru.