The Southern Railway has proposed a new Vande Bharat train service along the Chennai-Kottayam route, sparking expectations of Kottayam obtaining terminal station status. Currently, Kottayam only serves as the originating point for a train to Nilambur, formerly a passenger train, now labeled as an ‘express.’ Persistent demands for Kottayam’s elevation to a terminal station intensified after the completion of track doubling and the addition of platforms. The proposed Vande Bharat, set to run between Chennai and Kottayam, is envisioned with eight coaches, facilitating cleaning and water-filling at Kottayam’s platforms 3 and 4 within a two-hour-and-thirty-minute timeframe. Railway officials suggest that expanding water-filling facilities to platforms 1 A and 5 could enable more train services from Kottayam, requiring the installation of new pipelines. The Southern Railway’s proposal envisions Chennai for the rake’s maintenance. While express trains cover the Chennai-Kottayam distance in 13 hours and 45 minutes, the Vande Bharat is proposed to achieve a nine-hour travel time. Special services are recommended from December 1 to January 29, 2024, with scheduled departures from Chennai on Fridays and Sundays at 2 pm, reaching Kottayam at 11 pm, and departing from Kottayam at 4 am, arriving in Chennai at 1 pm.
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