Chennai-Bengaluru travel time on premium trains to reduce soon

If all goes well, the travel time between Chennai and Bengaluru on premium trains, like Shatabdi and Vande Bharat express, will reduce by at least 20 minutes in the next couple of months with the Southern Railway completing the work on enhancing the maximum speed between Arakkonam and Jolarpet to 130 km per hour.

The proposal seeking sanction for running trains at a maximum speed of 130 km per hour on the 144.54-km stretch between Arakkonam and Jolarpet railway junctions will be sent to the Commissioner of Rail Safety (CRS) in the next few days, a senior Southern Railway official said.

This is a very crucial section which handles three Shatabdi trains – one to Bengaluru, one to Mysuru, and one to Coimbatore from Chennai – and a Vande Bharat express between Chennai and Mysuru. "The work on strengthening track, traction, and signalling systems between Arakkonam and Jolarpet is over. We will move the CRS for sanction this week," the official told DH.

If the CRS gives his nod, trains from Chennai to Bengaluru can run at a speed of 130 km per hour till Jolarpet, thereby increasing their average speed and reducing the travel time between the two cities.

While Vande Bharat express takes 4.25 hours to reach Bengaluru from Chennai with an average speed of 81 kmph, Shatabdi takes 4.45 hours, and the average speed of the train is 76 kmph. "The increase in speed limit will reduce the travel time between the two cities by at least 20 minutes," another official said.

The first official quoted above told DH that the CRS will fix a date for inspecting the 145-km stretch after going through the application submitted by the Southern Railway.

“He will test the entire stretch and give us suggestions or modifications. Once he certifies the line, the Railways will carry out its own tests before allowing trains to run at 130 km between Arakkonam and Jolarpet,” the official said, adding that the entire process will take at least two months.

The second official said the Southern Railway has also asked the South Western Railway to enhance the speed to 130 km per hour from Jolarpet to Bengaluru so that the trains from Chennai to Bengaluru and back can run at the maximum speed.

Thousands of passengers travel in over half-a-dozen trains that run between the two cities daily apart from connecting trains.