The special train service 02198/02197 is currently experiencing significant operational challenges. Frequent delays have been reported, alongside increased special train fares and a lower priority in operations. These factors have contributed to a decline in service reliability, impacting passengers and overall operational efficiency.
Nashik: Central Railway has converted the Jabalpur-Coimbatore special train into a regular weekly express service in a major relief for passengers travelling between Maharashtra and southern India, promising punctuality, operational priority and easier ticket availability.
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Railway officials said the regular service was expected to ease peak-season congestion and strengthen passenger and trade connectivity between North India, the Konkan region and Tamil Nadu. Download the TOI App.
The train, currently running as special service 02198/02197, has long been affected by frequent delays, higher special train fares and lower operational priority. “Train number 20160 Jabalpur -Coimbatore Weekly Express will begin regular operations from Oct 23. It will depart Jabalpur every Friday at 11.50pm, reach Nashik Road at 11.40am on Saturday and arrive at Coimbatore at 2.30pm on Sunday via Panvel, Ratnagiri and Madgaon,” a senior Bhusawal division official said. In the return direction, train number 20159 Coimbatore-Jabalpur Weekly Express will start from Oct 26. It will leave Coimbatore every Monday at 5.05pm, reach Nashik Road at 8.40pm on Tuesday and arrive in Jabalpur at 8.45am on Wednesday. Commuter Keshav Patil welcomed the move, saying special trains often charge higher fares but suffer delays of up to 12 hours.
Its regularisation will greatly improve reliability for passengers,” Nashik-based traveller S V Ramkrishnan said. “Making it a regular train will ensure more predictable travel and better passenger confidence,” he said. Its regularisation is expected to improve reliability and passenger convenience. The service offers important direct connectivity from Nashik Road to the Konkan belt and southern states, with halts at Panvel, Roha, Khed, Chiplun, Ratnagiri, Kankavli, Kudal, Thivim, Madgaon, Karwar, Mangaluru, Kozhikode and Palakkad. At present, the daily Mangaldweep Express and the Jabalpur-Coimbatore service are the only trains from Nashik Road that provide connectivity beyond Goa via the Konkan route. Other services, including the Patna-Vasco da Gama Express, Nagpur-Madgaon Express and special trains from Nagpur, terminate in Goa. “Mangaldweep Express is always heavily crowded, while the Coimbatore service has so far operated as a special train.