Amritha Express
Amritha Express is a daily overnight express train operated by the Southern Railway zone of the Indian Railways between Thiruvananthapuram Central in Kerala, and Madurai Junction in Tamil Nadu.
| Overview | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First service | January 1, 2001 | ||||
| Current operator(s) | Indian Railway | ||||
| Route | |||||
| Start | Trivandrum Central | ||||
| Stops | 21 | ||||
| End | Madurai Junction | ||||
| Distance travelled | 617 km (383 mi) | ||||
| Average journey time | 15 hours 45 minutes | ||||
| Service frequency | Daily | ||||
| Train number(s) | 16343 / 16344 | ||||
| On-board services | |||||
| Class(es) | AC Two Tier, AC Three Tier, Sleeper Class, General Unreserved. | ||||
| Seating arrangements | Yes | ||||
| Sleeping arrangements | Yes | ||||
| Catering facilities | No | ||||
| Observation facilities | Large windows | ||||
| Technical | |||||
| Rolling stock | 7 | ||||
| Track gauge | 1,676 mm (5 ft 6 in) | ||||
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Background
It was introduced in January 2001 by the then Railway Minister O. Rajagopal, From Thiruvananthapuram Central to Palakkad Town. This train is named after Mata Amritanandamayi, a well known spiritual leader. At first the train used to run between Thiruvananthapuram Central to Palakkad, then extended upto Pollachi later extended upto Madurai Junction. It starts from Thiruvananthapuram Central runs via Kollam Junction, Kayamkulam, Tiruvalla, Kottayam, Ernakulam Town, Aluva, Thrissur, Ottapalam, Palakkad Junction, Kollengode, Pollachi, Udumalaipettai, Palani, Dindigul Junction then reaches Madurai Junction, the next day.
Developments
From November 2015, it had been operated as a special express between Palakkad Town and Pollachi. On 1 November 2017, Amritha Express was extended to Madurai with new stops at Kollengode, Pollachi, Udumalaippettai, Palani and Dindigul. Starting from 16 November 2011, at Shoranur Junction, 8 coaches are merged with Thiruvananthapuram - Nilambur Road Rajya Rani Express. After 05 May 2019, a link express from Nilambur Road attached with this train at Shoranur Junction was removed and the train will not reach Shoranur Junction, it is diverted to run via Palakkad Junction - Ottapalam - Thrissur without touching Shoranur Junction. A link train named Rajya Rani Express has got separate coaches and will run with new terminal Kochuveli to Nilambur Road.
Composition
- 1 AC Two Tier,
- 2 AC Three Tier,
- 14 Sleeper Class,
- 3 General Unreserved,
- 2 Luggage cum Disabled Coach.
| Loco | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | SLR | UR | UR | S1 | S2 | S3 | S4 | S5 | S6 | S7 | S8 | S9 | S10 | S11 | S12 | S13 | S14 | B1 | B2 | A1 | UR | SLR |