Title - New trains for Tirupati pilgrims

VISAKHAPATNAM: Here's some good news for devotees of Lord Venkateswara Swami in Tirupati.

The East Coast Railway (ECoR) has decided to introduce a new pair of weekly superfast express trains between Bhubaneswar and Tirupati via Visakhapatnam as announced in the railway budget.With effect from September 15, train number 22879 Bhubaneswar-Tirupati will leave Bhubaneswar on every Saturday at noon and arrive at Visakhapatnam railway station (VRS) the same day at 7pm, departing at 7.20pm to reach Tirupati at 9.25am the next day.tnnIn the return direction, train number 22880 Tirupati-Bhubaneswar will leave Tirupati every Sunday with effect from September 19 at 12.45pm, arriving at Vizag the next day at 2 am and departing at 2.20am to reach Bhubaneswar at 10.10am the same day. The pair of trains will ply enroute Khurda Road, Vizianagaram, Visakhapatnam, Vijayawada, Gudur and Tirupati in both directions.The trains will have one AC 2 tier coach, three AC 3 tier bogies, 11 sleeper class bogies besides two second class sitting-cum-luggage compartments and a pantry car.

Consequent to the introduction of the new pair of trains, the schedule of the existing Bhubaneswar-Tirupati-Bhubaneswar weekly superfast express trains (22871/22872) has hitherto been changed to Sundays from Bhubaneswar with effect from September 8 and on Mondays from Tirupati with effect from September 9, according to a press release issued here by the Waltair division of ECoR on Thursday.