Soon, reach Trichy from Chennai in 4 hours on private trains – Times of India

Image used for representational purpose

CHENNAI: In three years, private firms will operate faster trains with world class amenities using 16-coach modern rakes from Chennai to Madurai, Coimbatore, Tirunelveli, Trichy, Kanyakumari, Howrah, Mangalore, Delhi.
The plan to run private trains kicked off in October 2019 and is moving closer to reality as Indian Railways has issued a request for qualification (RFQ) to select companies who can bid to fund and operate trains using modern rakes under public private partnership .
Twelve pairs of trains will be operated by private players for 35 years using 16 rakes in the area covered by Southern Railway, which is called the Chennai cluster in the RFQ floated on July 1. In a presentation, chairman of railway board Vinod Kumar Yadav said financial bids are expected in six to eight months.
Most trains within the state will have travel time ranging from 6 hours to nearly 12 hours. Chennai-Trichy route will be covered in four hours and 15 minutes against the current five and a half hours while Chennai-Kanyakumari will be covered in 11 hours and 45 minutes against the current 13 hours. Chennai-Delhi route will be covered in 27 hours and Chennai-Mumbai in 22 hours.
The trains, which will be designed for a maximum speed of 160kmph, will be faster than the fastest one run by railways on these routes. These services are planned to reduce travel time and improve comfort.
“The trains may become successful over a period of time. The Lucknow-Delhi and Mumbai-Ahmedabad private trains were well received,” Sridhar Joshi, member of Indian Railways fan club, said.
While private-run trains may improve punctuality, reliability and may ensure better upkeep of coaches, passengers are worried about the fare.
“The fare is going to be expensive and may fluctuate like the charges levied by omni buses when demand is high. Railways have cut down on introducing new trains since 2015 and many trains that are in the timetable are yet to be introduced. This has created a demand on many routes which will now be useful for private-run trains,” said Edward Jeni, secretary, Kanyakumari District Rail Users Association.