Rons Bantwal
Mumbai, Jul 1: Responding to the heavy demand from rail commuters, Western Railway (WR) has announced the operation of special trains between Valsad and Velankani. To effectively manage the extra rush of passengers, the railway authorities will run two trips of these special trains under the 'Train on Demand' (TOD) category.
The special fare trains will connect Valsad in Gujarat to the renowned pilgrimage destination of Velankani in Tamil Nadu. Approved by the Railway Board, the trains will operate as per the following schedule:
Train No. 09030 (Valsad - Velankani Special): The train will depart from Valsad on Friday, July 03, at 18:25 Hrs (06:25 pm) and will reach Velankani the following morning (Saturday, July 04) at 10:00 am Train No. 09029 (Velankani - Dahanu Road Special): The return train will depart from Velankanni on Monday, July 06, at 00:30 am (Midnight of Sunday) and will reach Dahanu Road on Tuesday, July 07, at 10:30 am. Coach Composition and Passenger Amenities
The special train will consist of 22 ICF-design coaches, featuring 20 Sleeper Class (SCN) coaches and 2 SLR/D (luggage cum brake van) coaches. For passenger convenience, the train schedules and availability have already been updated across the Integrated Coaching Management System (ICMS) and National Train Enquiry System (NTES) platforms.
Route and key halts: Traversing through Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, and Tamil Nadu, the special trains will provide connectivity across several major stations. Detailed Timings for Train No. 09030 (Valsad to Velankani):
Valsad (18:25), Dahanu Road (19:55), Palghar (21:10), Vasai Road (22:00), Panvel (23:50), Lonavala (01:35), Pune (02:40), Daund (04:00), Solapur (07:55), Kalaburagi (09:50), Wadi (10:50), Yadgir (11:28), Krishna (12:00), Raichur (13:08), Mantralayam Road (14:48), Adoni (15:18), Guntakal (16:20), Gooty Jn (17:08), Tadipatri (17:58), Yerraguntla (18:53), Cuddapah (19:33), Razampeta (20:23), Renigunta (22:50), Katpadi (01:50), Vellore CANTT (02:18), Tiruvannamalai (03:30), Villupuram (04:40), Tiruppadiripuliyur (05:23), Chidambaram (06:00), Mayiladuturai (06:43), Thirunallar (07:28), Karaikal (07:44), Nagore (08:00), Nagappattinam (08:20), Velankani (Arrival: Saturday, 10:00 am).
Detailed timings for Train No. 09029 (Velankani to Dahanu Road):
Velankanni (Departure: Monday, 00:30 am) Nagappattinam (00:45), Nagore (01:06), Karaikal (01:26), Thirunallar (01:43), Mayiladuthurai (02:30), Chidambaram (03:08), Tiruppadirippuliyur (03:48), Villupuram (05:00), Tiruvannamalai (06:00), Vellore (07:38), Katpadi (08:45), Renigunta (11:30), Razampeta (13:00), Cuddapah (13:50), Yerraguntla (14:27), Tadipatri (15:15), Gooty Jn (16:15), Guntakal (16:45), Adoni (17:40), Mantralayam Road (18:20), Raichur (19:05), Krishna (20:10), Yadgir (20:50), Wadi (21:15), Kalaburagi (21:55), Solapur (00:30), Daund (03:30), Pune (04:25), Lonavala (05:40), Panvel (07:00), Vasai Road (08:40), Palghar (09:30), Dahanu Road (Arrival: Tuesday, 10:30 am)
Western Railway sources have advised commuters to utilize official railway booking portals or visit the nearest station inquiry counters for advance reservations and updated details.