puduchery-kanniyakumari trian no:16861/16862(weekly) via villupuram jn,mayiladuthurai jn,tiruchirapalli jn,karaikkudi jn,virudhunagar jn,tirunelveli jn

A new train to karaikkudi jn is flagged off from puduchery by the railway minister.puduchery-kanniyakumari(cape) express will be the first to connect delta districts to kanniyakumari and puduchery.It also paves the way for karaikudi people to reach puduchery and kanniyakumari.when the train was announced the route between tpj-cape was thought to be via mdu but due to the completion of manamadurai-virudunagar gauge conversion

the train is routed via tpj-karaikkudi-manamadurai-virudhunagar.thanks to southern railways.at present the service is weekly.After seeing the response the frequency of the train may be increased.definitely the train will have a good response.because this is the first train to tirunelveli from karaikudi jn. 

Regular service of T.No.16861 Puducherry – Kanniyakumari (Weekly) Express will commence from 18.7.2013 and that of T.No.16862 Kanniyakumari (Weekly) Express from 19.7.2013. 

T.No.16861 Puducherry – Kanniyakumari (Weekly) Express will leave Puducherry at 11.30 hrs. o­n Thursdays and arrive Kanniyakumari at 03.15 hrs. o­n Fridays.T.No.16862 Kanniyakumari – Puducherry (Weekly) Express will leave Kanniyakumari at 13.35 hrs. o­n Fridays and arrive Puducherry at 05.25 hrs. o­n Saturdays.

The train will stop at Villupuram, Tiruppadirippuliyur, Cuddalore Port, Chidambaram, Sirkazhi, Mayiladuturai, Kumbakonam, Thanjavur, Tiruchchirappalli, Pudukkottai, Karaikkudi, Devakottai Road, Sivaganga, Manamadurai, Aruppukkottai, Virudunagar, Sattur, Kovilpatti, Tirunelveli, Valliyur and Nagercoil.

The gauge conversion between manamadurai-virudhunagar is very useful in future.It helps sivaganga and pudukottai district people to reach tirunelveli,nagercoil,kanniyakumari without touching 

madurai.I think this route will be a alternative way to reach extreme south without touching madurai.because already the traffic in  madurai-tirunelveli,madurai-kanniyakumari is increasing.If this route is opted it would serve sivaganga,pudukottai people and also reduce the time.but the vpm-tpj route can be taken in future trains because vpm-mv-tpj route is quite time consuming.