Chennai | Chennai-Nagercoil Vande Bharat Express, one of the three trains which Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagged off virtually on Saturday, offers the fastest connectivity to Kanyakumari, the country's southernmost tip, a senior railway official said.

"The Chennai-Nagercoil Vande Bharat train will cover a distance of 726 km in 8 hrs and 50 minutes to provide the fastest connectivity between two destinations. From Nagercoil, Kanyakumari is about 20 km which people can travel by rail or road route," the Southern Railways official said.

"There are two trains at present from Chennai which go straight to Kanyakumari but they take about 12 hours. Vande Bharat offers them a third option which is quickest and most comfortable among them," he added.

After its launch on Saturday, its commercial operation will start from September 1 (Sunday), the official added.

According to Southern Railways, the new train will enhance links to key industrial, business and tourist hubs including Trichy, Madurai, Dindigul and Tirunelveli.

"It will depart from Chennai Egmore at 5 am and reach Nagercoil at 1.50 pm offering stoppages at seven station in between. These are Tambaram, Villupuram, Tiruchirappalli, Dindigul, Madurai, Kovilpatti and Tirunelveli," he said.

During the return journey, the train will depart from Nagercoil at 2.20 pm on the same day and arrive at Chennai Egmore at 11.00 pm, he added.

Southern Railway officials said that the train will run six days a week with 16 coaches and a capacity of carrying 1,128 passengers in one trip.

"Tamil Nadu, a vibrant and dynamic state, is currently served by Vande Bharat Express trains operating on key routes including Chennai-Coimbatore, Chennai-Tirunelveli, Chennai-Vijayawada, Chennai-Mysuru and Coimbatore-Bengaluru," a statement by the Railways said.

It added, "The new service will be a boon for passengers travelling to their home towns in the southern districts of Tamil Nadu, especially during weekends, festivals and weekends."