CHENNAI: The speed of 65 Mail and Express trains, including services to Thoothukudi, Sengottai and Nagercoil, will be increased from January 1, 2026, reducing travel time by between five minutes and 85 minutes, Southern Railway has announced. The speed of 14 short-distance passenger trains will also be increased.
The increase in speeds follows the completion of track electrification works and upgrades to signalling systems, according to a press release.
The Kollam-Tambaram Express will see the highest reduction of 85 minutes. The Coimbatore-Rameswaram Express will be faster by 55 minutes, while the Thoothukudi-Mettupalayam, Silghat Town-Tambaram and Cuddalore Port Junction-Mysuru express trains will each save 50 minutes.
The Nagercoil Junction-Tambaram Express will run 45 minutes faster, while the Rameswaram-Bhubaneswar weekly express will see a reduction of 35 minutes.
The Thoothukudi-Chennai Egmore and Sengottai-Mayiladuthurai express trains will save 30 minutes each.
The Rameswaram-Tirupati and Chennai Egmore-Mangaluru Central express trains will have their journey time reduced by 25 minutes.
Journey time will be cut by up to 20 minutes for eight express trains, including the Dr MGR Chennai Central-Nagercoil (weekly) service, Sengottai-Chennai Egmore Podhigai Express, Chennai Egmore-Guruvayur Express, Rameswaram-Okha Express, Tirunelveli-Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra Express and Rameswaram-Coimbatore Express.
More trains to run faster
Five express trains, including services to Tirupati, will see their journey time reduced by 15 minutes.
Several other trains, including Egmore-Rameswaram Sethu Express, Rameswaram-Egmore, Egmore-Sengottai, Tambaram-Madurai, Tiruchendur-Egmore, Tiruchendur-Palakkad, Sengottai-Erode and Bengaluru-Chennai Central, will run 10 minutes faster.
In addition, 17 express trains, including Chennai Central-New Delhi, Coimbatore-Chennai Central, Chennai Central-Bodinayakkanur, Tiruchirapalli-Rameswaram, Chennai Central-Tirupati and Tambaram-Nagercoil, will see a five-minute reduction in travel time.
The report also said that 14 short-distance passenger trains, including services between Tirunelveli and Sengottai, will have their journey time reduced by five to 35 minutes.
Confusion over Vande Bharat timings
Meanwhile, as per media reports, passenger association representatives said the new timetable offers no new train services or additional stoppages, leaving commuters disappointed. They added that the absence of any timing change for the Chennai Egmore-Tirunelveli Vande Bharat Express in the timetable, despite an update on the IRCTC website, has caused confusion.