South Central Railway has announced the regularisation of Charlapalli - Tiruchi - Charlapalli weekly special trains. Consequent to its regularisation, the inter-State express will be operated as Train No. 17077 / 17078 with effect from July 7.

The regular service of the express train from Charlapalli will commence on July 7 (on Tuesday), while the regular service from the Tiruchi Junction will come in to effect from July 8 (on Wednesday). The express trains will be operated on the Tiruchi - Villupuram chord line section with halts at Srirangam, Ariyalur, Vriddhachalam, Villupuram, Tirukkovilur, Tiruvannamalai, Vellore Cantonment, Katpadi, Chittoor, Tirupati, Renigunta, Gudur, Nellore, Ongole, Chirala, Bapatla, Tenali, Guntur, Sattenapalle, Nadikude, Miryalaguda and Nalgonda. 

As per the timings, the express train from Charlapalli will leave on Tuesdays at 5.20 p.m. and reach Tiruchi Junction at 6.45 p.m. on Wednesday.  In the return direction, the express train will depart from Tiruchi Junction on Wednesdays at 9.30 p.m. and reach Charlapalli at 9.30 p.m. on Thursdays.

The trains will be operated with three AC two-tier coaches, five AC three-tier coaches, 10 sleeper class, four general second class and two second class Divyangjan friendly coaches. The advance reservation for the weekly special train will open at 8 a.m. on May 26 from the Southern Railway end, a release from the Tiruchi Division said.

MP welcomes

Tiruchi Lok Sabha MP Durai Vaiko has welcomed the announcement of the regularisation of the Tiruchi - Charlapalli weekly train and thanked the Ministry of Railways for accepting his representation in this regard. 

In a statement, Mr. Durai Vaiko said he had sent separate representations to the Railway Minister and to the Divisional Railway Manager, Tiruchi in March requesting to make the express train as a permanent service as it had been serving passengers from Tiruchi and Srirangam by providing connectivity to important towns within the Tiruchi Division and to many parts in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.

Making this service a permanent train would greatly benefit passengers and further strengthen inter-State connectivity, Mr. Durai Vaiko had mentioned in the memorandum sent earlier.

The regularisation of the express will increase the number of originating inter-State express trains operated on a permanent basis from the Tiruchi Railway Division. The Tiruchi - Howrah express is being operated bi-weekly, while the Tiruchi - Jodhpur and the Tiruchi - Shri Gangapur Humsafar express trains are being operated weekly. The Tiruchi - Thiruvananthapuram Intercity express is operated daily in both directions.