Prime Minister Narendra Modi may flag off Tejas Exp to Madurai on March 1

CHENNAI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to inaugurate the Chennai-Madurai Tejas Express on March 1, Southern railway officials told TOI on Tuesday.


The train, which has amenities such as onboard Wi-Fi, CCTV, modular toilets and better seats, was idling at Chennai's basin bridge yard for more than a month awaiting the Prime Minister's appointment after its inaugural run was postponed twice. It was moved to Madurai on Tuesday evening.

"Railway authorities have been asked to be ready for its inaugural run from Madurai to Chennai on March 1," said an officer. The Prime Minister is likely to inaugurate it when he visits Kanyakumari later this week. Southern Railway is also gearing up for the function.

Passengers are eagerly waiting for the train as it will be a premier daytime service linking Chennai and Madurai. It will also be the fastest train between the two destinations. Passengers have been expecting it since Pongal as the Railway Board had announced the rake as soon as it rolled out from Integral Coach Factory (ICF), Chennai.

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The train will start at 6am from Chennai Egmore and have a run time of six hours and 30 minutes to Madurai. It will stop at Trichy and Kodai Road. In the return direction, it will start from Madurai at 3pm and reach Chennai at 9:30pm.

The journey time of four hours and 23 minutes and four hours and 38 minutes between Chennai and Trichy is aimed at weaning away air passengers in the sector. From Chennai, the train will reach Kodai Road at 11:38am to help tourists reach Kodaikanal by noon, which is the check-in time for hotels. In the return direction, the train will reach Kodai Road at 3.28pm, which is also suitable for tourists checking out from Kodaikanal at noon.

Tickets may cost around Rs 1,000 for a chair car seat, taking into account dynamic pricing. An executive class seat will cost around Rs 2,000.