Chennai Egmore–Tirunelveli Vande Bharat Express

Chennai Egmore - Tirunelveli Junction Vande Bharat Express
The Nellai Vande Bharat Express skipping at Kodambakkam railway station and heading towards Tirunelveli Junction
Overview
Service type	Vande Bharat Express
Locale	Tamil Nadu
First service	September 24, 2023 (2023-09-24) (Inaugural run) 25 September 2023;23 months ago (25 September 2023) (Commercial run)
Current operator(s)	Southern Railways (SR)
Route
Termini	Chennai Egmore (MS) Tirunelveli Junction (TEN)
Stops	6
Distance travelled	650 km (404 mi)
Average journey time	07 hrs 50 mins
Service frequency	Six days a week [a]
Train number(s)	20665 / 20666
Line(s) used	Chennai - Villupuram line Chord Line Madurai–Tirunelveli line
On-board services
Class(es)	AC Chair Car, AC Executive Chair Car
Seating arrangements	Airline style Rotatable seats
Sleeping arrangements	No
Catering facilities	E Catering services, On board Catering
Observation facilities	Large windows in all coaches
Entertainment facilities	On-board WiFi Infotainment System Electric outlets Reading light Seat Pockets Bottle Holder Tray Table
Baggage facilities	Overhead racks
Other facilities	Kavach
Technical
Rolling stock	Mini Vande Bharat 2.0 (Last service: Jan 13 2025) Vande Bharat 2.0 (Last service: Sept 22 2025) Vande Bharat 3.0 (First service: Sept 24 2025)
Track gauge	Indian gauge 1,676 mm (5 ft 6 in) broad gauge
Electrification	25 kV 50 Hz AC Overhead line
Operating speed	83 km/h (52 mph) (Avg.)
Average length	384 metres (1,260 ft) (16 coaches)
Track owner(s)	Indian Railways
Rake maintenance	Tirunelveli Jn (TEN)
Route map Legend 20666 ↓ Tirunelveli Junction Virudhunagar Junction Madurai Junction Dindigul Junction Tiruchchirappalli Junction Villupuram Junction Tambaram 20665 ↑ Chennai Egmore

The 20665/20666 Chennai Egmore - Tirunelveli Vande Bharat Express (also known as Nellai Vande Bharat Express) is India's 28th Vande Bharat Express train, which is running across the state of Tamil Nadu by connecting the cities of Chennai, Villupuram, Tiruchirappalli, Dindigul, Madurai and Virudhunagar, and terminating at Tirunelveli. ^[1] This train was inaugurated on 24 September 2023, by Prime Minister Narendra Modi via video conference from New Delhi. ^{[2] [3] [4] [5]}

Overview

This train is operated by Indian Railways, which connects Chennai Egmore, Tambaram, Villuppuram Jn, Tiruchchirappalli Jn, Dindigul Jn, Madurai Jn, Virudhunagar Jn and Tirunelveli Jn. It is currently operated with train numbers 20665/20666 on 6 days a week basis. ^{[6] [7] [8] [9]}

Rakes

It was the twenty-sixth 2nd Generation and fourteenth Mini Vande Bharat 2.0 Express train which was designed and manufactured by the Integral Coach Factory at Perambur, Chennai under the Make in India Initiative. ^{[10] [11]}

As per latest reports, Prabhakar Gunaseelapandian, Deputy Chief Operating Manager (COM), Southern Railways issued a statement that the current running rake would be converted to 16-car rake as this would benefit the passengers heading towards the city of Tirunelveli and other key stations like Tiruchirappalli, Dindigul and Madurai. ^{[12] [13]} This conversion of 8 coaches to 16 coaches commenced on January 15, 2025, right after the Tamil Nadu's harvest festival, Pongal. ^[14]

Coach Augmentation

As per new fresh updates on September 16, 2025, Southern Railways announced that this express train will be further augmented with 4 additional AC coaches, ^[15] starting from September 24, 2025 and will run with a new Vande Bharat 3.0 trainset, in response to long-standing passenger demand for additional capacity on this busy Tirunelveli–Chennai route. ^{[16] [17] [18]}

Service

The 20665/20666 Chennai Egmore - Tirunelveli Jn Vande Bharat Express operates six days a week except Tuesdays, covering a distance of 650 km (400 mi) in a travel time of 7 hours with an average speed of 84 km/h (52 mph). The service has 6 intermediate stops. The Maximum Permissible Speed is 130 km/h (81 mph).

Chennai Egmore - Tirunelveli Vande Bharat Express (20665) ^[19]

Station	Station Code	Arrival	Departure	Halt (min)	Distance (km)	Day
Chennai Egmore	MS	—	14:45	—	—	1
Tambaram	TBM	15:05	15:07	2	24.5	1
Villupuram Jn	VM	16:33	16:35	2	158.5	1
Tiruchchirappalli Jn	TPJ	18:35	18:40	5	336.5	1
Dindigul Jn	DG	19:38	19:40	2	430.9	1
Madurai Jn	MDU	20:20	20:25	5	493.2	1
Virudunagar Jn	VPT	20:53	20:55	2	536.6	1
Tirunelveli Jn	TEN	22:30	—	—	650.2	1

Tirunelveli - Chennai Egmore Vande Bharat Express (20666) ^[20]

Station	Station Code	Arrival	Departure	Halt (min)	Distance (km)	Day
Tirunelveli Jn	TEN	—	06:05	—	—	1
Virudunagar Jn	VPT	07:18	07:20	2	113.6	1
Madurai Jn	MDU	07:50	07:55	5	157.1	1
Dindigul Jn	DG	08:38	08:40	2	219.4	1
Tiruchchirappalli Jn	TPJ	09:45	09:50	5	313.7	1
Villupuram Jn	VM	11:46	11:48	2	491.8	1
Tambaram	TBM	13:13	13:15	2	625.7	1
Chennai Egmore	MS	13:55	—	—	650.2	1

Gallery

Some of the pictures of this express train shown below:-

• 
  This former running Mini Vande Bharat Express skipping Chetpet railway station
• 
  This Vande Bharat Express on standby at Chennai Egmore and getting ready for departure towards Tirunelveli Junction
• 
  Nellai Vande Bharat Express arriving at Dindigul Junction
• 
  This Vande Bharat Express skipping Guindy railway station and heading towards Chennai Egmore

Incidents

On 4 February 2024, glass windows in six coaches suffered damage when it almost reached Naraikinaru railway station around 10:08 PM, as unidentified culprits pelted stones at the speeding train at night. No casualties were reported during this incident. ^{[21] [22] [23]}

On 7 December 2024, the 4 coaches from C4 to C7 of Tirunelveli Vande Bharat Express did not open the closed automated doors at Dindigul Junction railway station and the train departed. After some time, the train was made to stop at Kodaikanal Road railway station for an unscheduled halt and passengers to Dindigul were sent there by Mysuru–Tuticorin Express. The railways said it is the mistake of the guard who forgot to open doors of all coaches, as that was the first time he was having duty in Vande Bharat Express and he boarded after crew change at Tiruchirapalli Junction.

See also

• Vande Bharat Express
• Tejas Express
• Gatimaan Express
• Chennai Egmore railway station
• Tirunelveli Junction railway station

Notes

1. Except Tuesdays

References

1. Sundar, S. (23 September 2023). "Passengers from southern districts to get a new travel experience on Vande Bharat Express". The Hindu. ISSN   0971-751X . Retrieved 23 September 2023.
2. "Vande Bharat Express from Chennai to Tirunelveli set to be launched in first week of August". The New Indian Express. 31 July 2023. Retrieved 1 August 2023.
3. "Chennai-Nellai Vande Bharat Express set to launch in August – Know speed, distance, route and more". Financialexpress. 3 August 2023. Retrieved 3 August 2023.
4. "Tirunelveli – Chennai Vande Bharat train service to commence on September 24". The Hindu. 20 September 2023. ISSN   0971-751X . Retrieved 20 September 2023.
5. Rai, Madhulika (21 September 2023). "Vande Bharat Express PM Modi to Flag Off Tirunelveli Chennai Vande Bharat Express on 24th September". DNP INDIA. Retrieved 21 September 2023.
6. Roushan, Anurag (31 July 2023). "PM Modi likely to flag off Chennai-Tirunelveli Vande Bharat Express in Tamil Nadu on August 6". www.indiatvnews.com. Retrieved 1 August 2023.
7. "சென்னை - நெல்லை வந்தே பாரத் ரயில் எப்போது?". Dinamani (in Tamil). 31 July 2023. Retrieved 1 August 2023.
8. "Chennai-Tirunelveli Vande Bharat Express likely to be inaugurated by PM Modi on August 6". News9live. 31 July 2023. Retrieved 1 August 2023.
9. Bureau, DTNEXT (20 September 2023). "Chennai – Nellai Vande Bharat likely to be flagged off on Sept 24". www.dtnext.in. Retrieved 21 September 2023.{{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
10. "Vande Bharat Express rake arrives from Chennai". The Hindu. 21 September 2023. ISSN   0971-751X . Retrieved 22 September 2023.
11. Leader, The Weekend. "Third Vande Bharat Express in Tamil Nadu: Chennai-Tirunelveli in Just 8 Hours". www.theweekendleader.com. Retrieved 22 September 2023.
12. Karthikeyan, K. (13 November 2024). "Chennai-Tirunelveli Vande Bharat Express trains capacity to be doubled to 16 coaches soon". www.dtnext.in. Retrieved 13 November 2024.
13. "Tirunelveli-Chennai Vande Bharat Express now running with 16 coaches – Check schedule, timings, route, stoppages and more". Financialexpress. 19 January 2025. Retrieved 19 January 2025.
14. "நெல்லை வந்தே பாரத் எக்ஸ்பிரஸ் ஜனவரி 15ம் தேதி முதல் 16 பெட்டிகள் கொண்டு இயங்கும்". www.dinakaran.com. Retrieved 10 January 2025.
15. Desk, Online (16 September 2025). "Tirunelveli – Chennai Egmore Vande Bharat Express to run with 20 coaches from September 24". www.dtnext.in. Retrieved 16 September 2025.{{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
16. "20-car rake for Tirunelveli-Chennai Vande Bharat Express from September 24". The Hindu. 16 September 2025. ISSN   0971-751X . Retrieved 16 September 2025.
17. "Chennai-Nellai Vande Bharat Express gets 20 coach trains". The Times of India. 17 September 2025. ISSN   0971-8257 . Retrieved 17 September 2025.
18. "Two years after launch, India's 27th Vande Bharat train gets 20-coach rake". The Indian Express. 22 September 2025. Retrieved 22 September 2025.
19. "(20665) Chennai Egmore - Tirunelveli Vande Bharat Express Live Running Status". RailRadar. Retrieved 31 August 2025.
20. "(20666) Tirunelveli - Chennai Egmore Vande Bharat Express Live Running Status". RailRadar. Retrieved 31 August 2025.
21. "BREAKING NEWS: Stone-Pelting On Chennai-Tirunelveli Vande Bharat Train, Coaches Damaged". www.india.com. Retrieved 2 May 2024.
22. "Stones pelted at Chennai-Tirunelveli Vande Bharat Express damage glass windows in six coaches". The Hindu. 5 February 2024. ISSN   0971-751X . Retrieved 2 May 2024.
23. "Windows of Chennai – Tirunelveli Vande Bharat Express Train Damaged in Stone Pelting Incident". Times Now. 6 February 2024. Retrieved 2 May 2024.