Pamban bridge operational, but Rameshwaram Express not in service yet. Why?

Palakkad: The Mangaluru – Rameshwaram Express, which was announced years ago, has yet to be flagged off. The train via Pollachi was announced around five years ago. In 2020, the Railway Board approved to run the service twice a week. Although the train was included in the railway timetable by announcing temporary schedules and stops, the service wasn’t started. The construction of the Pamban Bridge and the renovation of the Rameshwaram railway station were cited as reasons for not starting the service at that time. The reason cited for not starting the service yet is a shortage of coaches. Train services had begun from other states to Rameshwaram after the inauguration of the Pamban bridge, but the fate of the service from Mangaluru remains unclear.

The authorities have approved the use of LHB coaches for the Mangaluru – Chennai West Coast and Mangaluru – Chennai Mail Express services. Therefore, the Rameshwaram train may be operated using coaches from these trains. The railways aim to acquire the coaches by the end of next month. An express train should have at least 18 coaches. Four rakes (a maximum of 24 coaches in a rake) are required to add LHB coaches to the Chennai Mail and West Coast trains. The authorities hope that the regular coaches required for the Rameshwaram train could be acquired when these trains are upgraded to LHB coaches. There is a shortage of regular coaches following the Integrated Coach Factory's reduction in production in stages since 2018. The Integrated Coach Factory currently focuses on producing Vande Bharat chair cars.