Regularisation of the Coimbatore-Jabalpur Weekly Special train operated via Palakkad, Mangaluru, Madgaon and Itarsi has come in for appreciation from votaries of stronger rail connectivity in Coimbatore city.
Effective from October 23, the special train (No. 20160) departed from Jabalpur at 11.50 p.m. on Friday to reach Coimbatore at 5.10 p.m. on Sunday.
In the return direction, the Coimbatore-Jabalpur Weekly Express (No. 20159) departed from Coimbatore at 5.05 p.m. on Monday. The train is scheduled to reach Jabalpur Junction on Wednesday.
The train is being operated with AC first class, AC 2-tier, AC 3-tier, sleeper class, general second class and luggage-cum-brake van (with accommodation for the differently abled) coaches.
With the new service, there are now 13 weekly express trains connecting Coimbatore with destinations across India, facilitating travel for tourists, businesspersons, students, families and guest workers, according to Coimbatore NXT- Railway Task Force.
The trains from Coimbatore to destinations such as Rajkot, Jaipur, Dhanbad, Barauni, Sambalpur, Hisar, Delhi, and Silchar serve as engines of economic growth.
Ranked among South India’s leading industrial, commercial, educational and healthcare centres, Coimbatore’s textile industries, engineering enterprises, manufacturing establishments and MSMEs attract people from across the country.
These trains providing sustainable mobility support industries by enabling guest workers to travel conveniently between their hometowns and workplaces, promote tourism by drawing visitors from different regions to explore Coimbatore, the Nilgiris and neighbouring destinations; and encourage business and investment, according to Coimbatore NXT.
While welcoming these services and appreciating the efforts of Indian Railways and Southern Railway, Coimbatore NXT has also urged the Railway Board to progressively increase the frequency of high-demand weekly express trains, by gradually converting the weekly trains to bi-weekly, tri-weekly and eventually daily services, subject to operational feasibility and infrastructure availability.
Published - October 27, 2026 07:46 pm IST