MADURAI: The Southern Railway has announced that the weekly service between Rameswaram and Tirupati (train nos. 16779/16780) will be doubled from March. Initially operated between Madurai and Tirupati, the service was extended to Rameswaram in 2021.

In the Tirupati-Rameswaram direction, the service operates on Mondays, Fridays and Saturdays. In the opposite direction, the service will ply on Sunday, Thursday and Friday. From March 3, the train to Tirupati will depart on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays. In the return direction, to Rameswaram, it will operate on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays from March 4. There is no change in arrival or departure timings. Passengers from the southern districts have welcomed this announcement.