In this image screengrab from a video posted on March 11, 2026, Prime Minister Narendra Modi flags off a new train service between Kerala’s Palakkad, in Tiruchirappalli, Tamil Nadu. Union Ministers Piyush Goyal and L Murugan are also seen.
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@NarendraModi/YT via PTI Photo
Soon after Prime Minister Narendra Modi virtually flagged off six trains from various destinations in Tamil Nadu and Kerala, the Railway Ministry notified that four of them will offer weekly services.
The ministry issued six separate notifications detailing the dates of commercial runs, stoppages and days of operation of these trains.
It asked the respective rail divisions to give wide publicity about the beginning of regular services of these trains.
The 22-coach Nagercoil-Charlapalli Amrit Bharat train will start its commercial service from March 12. It will depart from Nagercoil at 23:45 every Thursday and reach Charlapalli at 04:20 on Saturday. On its return journey, it will depart from Charlapalli at 08:15 every Saturday and reach Nagercoil at 15:35 on Sunday.
The Pollachi-Palakkad MEMU train will also start its regular services from March 12 and operate five days a week.
The Mangaluru-Rameswaram Express is a weekly train whose regular service will begin on March 14, departing from Mangaluru at 19:30.
The Mayiladuturai-Karaikudi passenger train will operate daily from March 16.
Another express train, Tirunelveli-Mangaluru Express, will begin its weekly services from March 18, departing from Tirunelveli at 15:45.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi flags off the Palakkad-Pollachi train during the inauguration of various development projects, in Kochi, Wednesday, March 11, 2026. BJP state president Rajeev Chandrasekhar, Union Ministers George Kurian and Suresh Gopi, Kerala Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar, and Ernakulam MP Hibi Eden are also seen.
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The Podanur-Dhanbad Amrit Bharat will offer regular weekly services from March 21. It will depart from Podanur at 06:15 every Saturday and reach Dhanbad at 04:00 on Monday. The train will begin its return journey at 14:00 on Monday and arrive at Podanur at 11:20 on Wednesday.
Talking about these new services, the ministry said that from linking Nagercoil at India’s southern tip to the vibrant city of Charlapalli in Hyderabad, intertwining the industrial corridors of Coimbatore with the Steel City of Dhanbad to connecting the bustling southern city of Tirunelveli and sacred town Rameswaram to Mangaluru in the western coast, these services are redefining mobility.
“Furthermore, by offering people-centric regional connectivity through the Mayiladuthurai-Thiruvarur-Karaikkudi service, every infrastructure advancement ensures that every journey– whether for a student, a trader, or a pilgrim, is safer, faster, and more affordable,” the ministry said in a statement.
Published on March 12, 2026
