Its average speed, estimated at 77 km/h by the Railways, is lower than other Vande Bharat trains plying in North and West.
The Vande Bharat from Secunderabad to Vijayawada will be flagged off on 19 January. (Supplied)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will flag off South India’s first Vande Bharat Express on Friday, 11 November. The fifth train in the Vande Bharat series, the semi-high-speed train will be flagged off by Modi from KSR Bengaluru City Junction in Karnataka.
Incidentally, this train in the South will be the slowest of all Vande Bharat Express trains so far, experts said.
According to the Railways, while the average speed of Vande Bharat Express trains on routes like New Delhi to Varanasi, New Delhi to Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra, Mumbai Central to Gandhinagar, and New Delhi to Amb Andaura is between 79 km/h and 95 km/h, the one between Chennai and Mysuru will ply at an average speed of 77 km/h — making it the slowest in the series so far.
KN Krishna Prasad, a train enthusiast, points out that the geographical terrain of the route might act as a speed restriction for the semi-high-speed train.
“From Chennai to Bengaluru we are on a gradient, and we are climbing from 0 to 3,000 feet. So, after Jolarpettai, the train takes more time to climb; naturally, the speed gets reduced. It will take some time for the officials to strengthen the tracks and implement changes,” he told South First.
Even as experts continue to compare Vande Bharat Express and Shatabdi that leave barely 10 minutes apart on the same route, with the former being barely 20 minutes faster, enthusiasm soars for the new semi-high-speed train.
The train will run between Mysuru and Chennai via Bengaluru. The semi-high-speed train will run six days a week, except on Wednesdays.
Bengaluru station all decked for the inauguration of the Vande Bharat Express. (Supplied)
It will take around 6 hours and 40 minutes to complete the journey between Chennai and Mysuru. It will cover a total distance of 497 km at an average speed of 74 km/h, according to train enthusiasts whose calculation of the average speed is a notch lower than that of the Railways.
On Monday, 7 November, the Railways conducted a successful trial run of the train in both directions.
No concession or child fare is admissible in the Vande Bharat Express trains. Railways will issue only full fare adult tickets. Other terms and conditions for booking, cancellation, refund, etc, will be the same as Shatabdi trains.
“The inaugural special Vande Bharat Express from Mysuru to Dr MGR Chennai Central, which will be flagged off by PM Narendra Modi around 10:20 am from KSR Bengaluru, will stop at almost all enroute stations for the benefit of everyone living in the town/city to see the Vande Bharat Train manufactured in ICF (Integrated Coach Factory), Chennai, Tamil Nadu,” a statement from Indian Railways said on Thursday.
The Vande Bharat Express from Chennai Central to Mysuru Junction will have train number 20608.
It will start its journey from Chennai at 5.50 am and cover a distance of 359 km to reach Bengaluru city at 10.25 am.
The fifth Vande Bharat Express will be inaugurated by Our Hon’ble PM Shri @narendramodi ji on 11th Nov 2022. This will be the first semi-high speed service for southern India.
Schedule of Chennai-Bengaluru-Mysuru Vande Bharat Express. pic.twitter.com/t07SX0KqtE
— Pratap Simha (@mepratap) November 2, 2022
After a five-minute halt at the junction, the train will continue at 10.30 am and reach its final destination — Mysuru Junction — at 12.30 pm.
On its return journey from Mysuru Junction to Chennai Central, train number 20607 will depart at 1.05 pm and reach Bengaluru City Junction at 2.55 pm.
After a five-minute halt, the train will resume its journey at 3 pm and reach Chennai Central at 7.35 pm.
The Vande Bharat Express will pass through Perambur, Veppampattu, Katpadi Junction, Gudupalli, and Malur, but will not have any halts.
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