Southern Railway changes train schedules; Cholan Express to be diverted

CHENNAI: Southern Railway has announced a series of changes to long distance train services originating from MGR Chennai Central railway station and Egmore railway station to facilitate maintenance and infrastructure works.

Among the trains rescheduled on August 4 from the MGR Chennai Central railway station, Kanniyakumari-Dibrugarh Vivek Express will leave at 9 pm instead of 5.25 pm, MGR Chennai Central-Howrah Superfast Mail will depart at 9.30 pm instead of 7 pm, and MGR Chennai Central-Shalimar Express, originally scheduled to leave at 6.45 pm, has been deferred to 7 am on Wednesday (August 5).

Southern Railway said the rescheduling was necessitated by the late running of the respective pairing trains.

Chennai Egmore-Tiruchy Cholan Superfast Express will be diverted via Cuddalore Port, Vriddhachalam, and Tiruchchirappalli on August 5, 12, 14, 21, and 26, and September 2 to facilitate fixed-time corridor blocks for safety and maintenance works in Tiruchchirappalli Division.

During the diversion, the train will skip stoppages at Chidambaram, Sirkazhi, Vaithisvarankoil, Mayiladuthurai, Aduturai, Kumbakonam, Thanjavur, Budalur and Tiruverumbur, while additional halts will be provided at Vriddhachalam, Ariyalur, Lalgudi, and Srirangam.

The Tiruchchirappalli-Chennai Egmore Cholan Superfast Express will also depart 35 minutes later, at 12.45 pm instead of 12.10 pm, on August 4, 11, and 18.

In addition, the Jodhpur-Mannargudi Express will be regulated by about one hour between Chennai Egmore and Mundiyampakkam on August 6, 20 and 27.

Southern Railway also said the Dr MGR Chennai Central-Bhagat Ki Kothi Superfast Express departing on August 11 will be regulated by about two hours in the Manmad-Jalgaon section owing to pre-non-interlocking and non-interlocking works being carried out by Central Railway between Igatpuri and Bhusaval.