{"id":8870,"date":"2022-12-29T08:11:26","date_gmt":"2022-12-29T08:11:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/irctcportal.in\/?p=8870"},"modified":"2022-12-29T08:11:26","modified_gmt":"2022-12-29T08:11:26","slug":"indian-railways-runs-special-trains-for-velankanni-festival-shrine-basilica-of-our-lady-of-health-church","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.reilsolar.com\/irctc\/indian-railways-runs-special-trains-for-velankanni-festival-shrine-basilica-of-our-lady-of-health-church\/","title":{"rendered":"Indian Railways runs Special Trains for \u2018Velankanni Festival\u2019 (Shrine Basilica of Our Lady of Health Church)"},"content":{"rendered":"<header class=\"entry-header\"><\/header>\n<footer class=\"entry-footer\"><strong>Railways run Special\/Special Fare Trains to various pilgrim centres like Ajmer Dargah, Halkatta Shareef Dargah\/Wadi, Ameenpeer Dargah\/Kadapa, Takht Sachkhand Sri Hazur Abchalnagar Sahib Gurudwara\/Nanded, Takht Sri Harmandir Sahib Gurdwara\/Patna, Ramayana Express to Ayodhya and to Tirupati and other religious destinations epitomizing the principles of religious values and the truest form of secularism.<\/strong><\/footer>\n<div class=\"entry-content\">\n<figure id=\"attachment_88434\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><strong>Velankanni Railway Station in Thiruchchirapalli Division of Southern Railway stands tall in epitomising the principles of equality to all religious practices, as the Railway Station itself was transformed by Railways to appear similar to that of Shrine Basilica of Our Lady of Health Church, Velankanni, Tamil Nadu.<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><strong>MUMBAI\/CHENNAI<\/strong>:\u00a0Velankanni falls in the\u00a0Tiruchirappalli railway division\u00a0of the\u00a0Southern Railway zone\u00a0in\u00a0Nagapattinam district\u00a0in\u00a0Tamil Nadu. The Railway Station code is\u00a0<strong>VLNK<\/strong>.\u00a0It lies at the end of a 10 kilometres (6.2\u00a0mi) long\u00a0Nagapattinam\u00a0\u2013 Velankanni\u00a0broad gauge\u00a0line. The foundation stone of the line was laid in 1999 and it was completed in 2010 at a cost of\u00a0<span class=\"nowrap\">\u20b948 crore<\/span>\u00a0(US$7.0\u00a0million).<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"entry-title\">Indian Railways runs Special Trains for \u2018Velankanni Festival\u2019 (Shrine Basilica of Our Lady of Health Church)<\/h2>\n<p>Indian Railways as a ritual every year, announces running of Special Trains to Velankanni in view of the annual festival at\u00a0Shrine Basilica of Our Lady of Health.\u00a0<sup id=\"cite_ref-4\" class=\"reference\"><\/sup>In order to clear extra rush of passengers attending Velankanni Festival, various Special Trains will be run between Chennai \u2013 Velankanni, LTT Mumbai \u2013 Velankanni, Bandra \u2013 Velankanni and Nagarcoil \u2013 Velankanni as per the following schedule:-<\/p>\n<h3><strong>1. Special fare special train from Velankanni to Tambaram<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Train No.06086 Velankanni \u2013 Tambaram special fare special train will leave Velankanni at 23.45 hrs. on\u00a0<span data-term=\"goog_1727305051\">05.09.2018<\/span>\u00a0and reach Tambaram at 10.00 hrs. the next day.<\/p>\n<p><u>Composition<\/u>:\u00a0\u00a0AC 2-tier \u2013\u00a0<strong>1<\/strong>, AC 3-tier \u2013\u00a0<strong>2<\/strong>,\u00a0Sleeper Class \u2013\u00a0<strong>12\u00a0<\/strong>&amp; Luggage-cum-brake van \u2013\u00a0<strong>2<\/strong>\u00a0coaches.<\/p>\n<p><u>Stoppages<\/u>:\u00a0\u00a0Nagapattinam, Tiruvarur, Mayiladuturai, Sirkazhi, Chidambaram, Tiruppadirippuliyur, Villupuram, Tindivanam and Chengalpattu.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>2. Special fare special trains between Tambaram \u2013 Velankanni<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Train No.06087 Tambaram \u2013 Velankanni special fare special train will leave Tambaram at 17.00 hrs. on\u00a0<span data-term=\"goog_1727305052\">29.08.2018 &amp; 31.08.2018<\/span>\u00a0and reach Velankanni at 03.10 hrs. the next day.<\/p>\n<p>Train No.06088 Velankanni \u2013 Tambaram special fare special train will leave Velankanni at 23.45 hrs. on\u00a0<span data-term=\"goog_1727305053\">01.09.2018 &amp; 06.09.2018<\/span>\u00a0and reach Tambaram at 10.00 hrs. the next day.<\/p>\n<p><u>Composition<\/u>:\u00a0\u00a0AC 3-tier \u2013\u00a0<strong>2<\/strong>\u00a0&amp; Sleeper Class \u2013\u00a0<strong>12\u00a0<\/strong>coaches.<\/p>\n<p><u>Stoppages<\/u>:\u00a0\u00a0Chengalpattu, Tindivanam, Villupuram, Tiruppadirippuliyur, Chidambaram, Sirkazhi, Mayiladuturai, Tiruvarur and Nagapattinam.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>3.Special fare special trains between Chennai Central \u2013 Velankanni<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Train No.06089 Chennai Central \u2013 Velankanni special fare special train will leave Chennai Central at 15.30 hrs. on\u00a0<span data-term=\"goog_1727305054\">30.08.2018 &amp; 06.09.2018<\/span>\u00a0and reach Velankanni at 03.10 hrs. the next day.<\/p>\n<p>Train No.06090 Velankanni \u2013 Chennai Central special fare special train will leave Velankanni at 23.45 hrs. on\u00a0<span data-term=\"goog_1727305055\">31.08.2018 &amp; 07.09.2018<\/span>\u00a0and reach Chennai Central at 11.15 hrs. the next day.<\/p>\n<p><u>Composition<\/u>:\u00a0\u00a0Air-conditioned First Class-cum-AC 2-tier \u2013\u00a0<strong>1<\/strong>, AC 2-tier \u2013\u00a0<strong>3<\/strong>, AC 3-tier \u2013\u00a0<strong>3<\/strong>,\u00a0Sleeper Class\u2013<strong>12<\/strong>, General Second Class \u2013\u00a0<strong>2<\/strong>\u00a0&amp; Luggage-cum-brake van \u2013\u00a0<strong>2<\/strong>\u00a0coaches.<\/p>\n<p><u>Stoppages<\/u>:\u00a0\u00a0Chennai Egmore, Tambaram, Chengalpattu, Tindivanam, Villupuram, Tiruppadirippuliyur, Chidambaram, Sirkazhi, Mayiladuturai, Tiruvarur and Nagapattinam.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>4.Special fare special trains between Nagercoil \u2013 Velankanni<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Train No.06093 Nagercoil \u2013 Velankanni special fare special train will leave Nagercoil at 17.00 hrs. on\u00a0<span data-term=\"goog_1727305056\">02.09.2018<\/span>\u00a0and reach Velankanni at 04.15 hrs. the next day.<\/p>\n<p>Train No.06094 Velankanni \u2013 Nagercoil special fare special train will leave Velankanni at 23.45 hrs. on\u00a0<span data-term=\"goog_1727305057\">03.09.2018<\/span>\u00a0and reach Nagercoil at 11.05 hrs. the next day.<\/p>\n<p><u>Composition<\/u>:\u00a0\u00a0AC 2-tier \u2013\u00a0<strong>1<\/strong>, AC 3-tier \u2013\u00a0<strong>3<\/strong>,\u00a0Sleeper Class \u2013\u00a0<strong>13<\/strong>, General Second Class \u2013\u00a0<strong>3<\/strong>\u00a0&amp; Luggage-cum-brake van \u2013\u00a0<strong>2<\/strong>\u00a0coaches.<\/p>\n<p><u>Stoppages<\/u>:\u00a0\u00a0Valliyur, Tirunelveli, Kovilpatti, Satur, Virudunagar, Madurai, Dindigul, Tiruchchirappalli, Thanjavur, Tiruvarur and Nagapattinam.<\/p>\n<p>Advance reservations for the above trains will commence at\u00a008.00 hrs. on\u00a0<span data-term=\"goog_1727305058\">01.08.2018<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><strong>5.Lokmanya Tilak Terminal (LTT Mumbai) \u2013 Velankanni \u2013 LTT Mumbai Special Trains (02 Services):<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Train No. 01031 Lokmanya Tilak Terminal \u2013 Velankanni special train will depart LTT Mumbai at 13:20 hrs\u00a0<strong>on 26<sup>th<\/sup>\u00a0August, 2018 (Sunday)<\/strong>\u00a0and arrive Velankanni at 23:15 hrs on the next day.<\/p>\n<p>In the return direction, Train No. 01032 Velankanni \u2013 LTT Mumbai special train will depart Velankanni at 08:30 hrs\u00a0<strong>on 28<sup>th<\/sup>\u00a0August, 2017 (Tuesday)<\/strong>\u00a0and arrive LTT Mumbai at 23:15 hrs on the next day.<\/p>\n<p>Enroute, these special trains will stop at \u00a0Thane, Kalyan, Lonavala, Pune, Daund, \u00a0Solapur, Gulbarga, Wadi, Yadgir, Raichur, Mantralayam Road, Adoni, \u00a0Guntakal, Gooty, Tadipatri, Muddanur, Yerraguntla, Cuddapah, Razampeta, Koduru, Renigunta, Arakkonam, Kanchipuram, Chengalpatu, Melmaruvathur, Villupuram, Tirupadarippuliyur, Cuddalore Port, Chidambaram, Sirkazhi, Mayiladuthurai, Tiruvarur and Nagapattinam stations in both the directions.<\/p>\n<p>The Special Trains will consist of AC II Tier, AC III Tier, Sleeper Class, General second class \u00a0and Luggage cum Brake van Coaches.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>6.Bandra (T) \u2013 Velankanni \u2013 Bandra (T) Special Trains (02 Services):<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Train No. 09041 Bandra (T) \u2013 Velankanni special train will depart Bandra (T) at 22:50 hrs\u00a0<strong>on 27<sup>th<\/sup>\u00a0August, 2018 (Monday)<\/strong>\u00a0and arrive Velankanni at 13:20 hrs on the second day.<\/p>\n<p>In the return direction, Train No. 09042 Velankanni \u2013 Bandra (T) \u00a0special train will depart Velankanni at 21:45 hrs\u00a0<strong>on 29<sup>th<\/sup>\u00a0August, 2018 (Wednesday)<\/strong>\u00a0and arrive Bandra at 10:30 hrs on the second day.<\/p>\n<p>Enroute, these special trains will stop at Borivali, Vasai Road, Kalyan, Lonavala, Pune, Daund,\u00a0 Solapur, Gulbarga, Wadi, Yadgir, Raichur, Mantralayam Road, Adoni,\u00a0 Guntakal, Gooty, Tadipatri, Muddanur, Yerraguntla, Cuddapah, Razampeta, Koduru, Renigunta, Tiruttani, Katpadi, Vellore, Tiruvannamalai, Villupuram, Tiruppadirippuliyur, Cuddalore port, Chidambaram, Mayiladuthurai, Thiruvarur and Nagapattinam \u00a0stations in both the directions.<\/p>\n<p>The Special Trains will consist of AC II Tier, AC III Tier, Sleeper Class, General second class\u00a0 and Luggage cum Brake van Coaches.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>7.Suvidha special train from Chennai Central to Ernakulam Jn.<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Train No.82615 Chennai Central \u2013 Ernakulam Jn. Suvidha special train will leave Chennai Central at 22.30 hrs. on\u00a0<span data-term=\"goog_2125827841\">23.08.2018<\/span>\u00a0and reach Ernakulam Jn. at 10.55 hrs. the next day.<\/p>\n<p><u>Composition<\/u>:\u00a0\u00a0Air-conditioned First Class-cum-AC 2-tier \u2013\u00a0<strong>1<\/strong>, AC 2-tier \u2013\u00a0<strong>3<\/strong>, AC 3-tier \u2013\u00a0<strong>3<\/strong>,\u00a0Sleeper Class \u2013<strong>12<\/strong>, General Second Class \u2013\u00a0<strong>2<\/strong>\u00a0&amp; Luggage-cum-brake van \u2013\u00a0<strong>2<\/strong>\u00a0coaches.<\/p>\n<p><u>Stoppages<\/u>:\u00a0\u00a0Katpadi, Jolarpettai, Salem, Erode, Tiruppur, Coimbatore, Palakkad, Thrisur, Aluva and Ernakulam Town.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>8.Special fare special train from Ernakulam Jn. to Chennai Central<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Train No.06014 Ernakulam Jn. \u2013 Chennai Central special fare special train will leave Ernakulam Jn. at 14.45 hrs. on\u00a0<span data-term=\"goog_2125827842\">24.08.2018<\/span>\u00a0and reach Chennai Central at 04.50 hrs. the next day.<\/p>\n<p><u>Composition<\/u>:\u00a0\u00a0Air-conditioned First Class-cum-AC 2-tier \u2013\u00a0<strong>1<\/strong>, AC 2-tier \u2013\u00a0<strong>3<\/strong>, AC 3-tier \u2013\u00a0<strong>3<\/strong>,\u00a0Sleeper Class \u2013<strong>12<\/strong>, General Second Class \u2013\u00a0<strong>2<\/strong>\u00a0&amp; Luggage-cum-brake van \u2013\u00a0<strong>2<\/strong>\u00a0coaches.<\/p>\n<p><u>Stoppages<\/u>:\u00a0\u00a0Aluva, Thrisur, Palakkad, Coimbatore, Tiruppur, Erode, Salem, Jolarpettai, Katpadi and Perambur.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>9.Special fare special trains between Chennai Central \u2013 Kochuveli<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Train No.06047 Chennai Central \u2013 Kochuveli special fare special train will leave Chennai Central at 15.00 hrs. on\u00a0<span data-term=\"goog_2125827843\">21.08.2018<\/span>\u00a0and reach Kochuveli at 06.45 hrs. the next day.<\/p>\n<p>Train No.06048 Kochuveli \u2013 Chennai Central special fare special train will leave Kochuveli at 12.30 hrs. on\u00a0<span data-term=\"goog_2125827844\">22.08.2018 &amp; 28.08.2018<\/span>\u00a0and reach Chennai Central at 07.40 hrs. the next day.<\/p>\n<p><u>Composition<\/u>:\u00a0\u00a0AC 2-tier \u2013\u00a0<strong>1<\/strong>, AC 3-tier \u2013\u00a0<strong>2<\/strong>\u00a0&amp; Sleeper Class \u2013\u00a0<strong>12\u00a0<\/strong>coaches.<\/p>\n<p><u>Stoppages<\/u>:\u00a0\u00a0Arakkonam, Katpadi, Jolarpettai, Salem, Erode, Tiruppur, Coimbatore, Palakkad, Thrisur, Aluva, Ernakulam Town, Kottayam, Tiruvalla, Chengannur, Kayamkulam and Kollam.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>10.Special fare special trains between Thiruvananthapuram \u2013 Velankanni<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Train No.06046 Thiruvananthapuram \u2013 Velankanni special fare special train will leave Thiruvananthapuram at 15.30 hrs. on\u00a0<span data-term=\"goog_2125827845\">29.08.2018 &amp; 05.09.2018<\/span>and reach Velankanni at 03.45 hrs. the next day.<\/p>\n<p>Train No.06045 Velankanni \u2013 Thiruvananthapuram special fare special train will leave Velankanni at 22.10 hrs. on\u00a0<span data-term=\"goog_2125827846\">30.08.2018 &amp; 06.09.2018<\/span>\u00a0and reach Thiruvananthapuram at 12.15 hrs. the next day.<\/p>\n<p><u>Composition<\/u>:\u00a0\u00a0AC 2-tier \u2013\u00a0<strong>2<\/strong>, AC 3-tier \u2013\u00a0<strong>3<\/strong>,\u00a0Sleeper Class \u2013\u00a0<strong>11<\/strong>, General Second Class \u2013\u00a0<strong>2<\/strong>\u00a0&amp; Luggage-cum-brake van \u2013\u00a0<strong>2<\/strong>\u00a0coaches.<\/p>\n<p><u>Stoppages<\/u>:\u00a0\u00a0Kulitturai, Eraniel, Nagercoil Town, Valliyur, Tirunelveli, Kovilpatti, Satur, Virudhunagar, Madurai, Dindigul, Tiruchchirappalli, Thanjavur, Tiruvarur and Nagapattinam.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>11.Special fare special trains between Ernakulam Jn. \u2013 Velankanni<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Train No.06016 Ernakulam Jn. \u2013 Velankanni special fare special train will leave Ernakulam Jn. at 23.00 hrs. on 28<sup>th<\/sup>, 31<sup>st<\/sup>\u00a0August and 04<sup>th<\/sup>\u00a0&amp; 07<sup>th<\/sup>September, 2018 and reach Velankanni at 13.00 hrs. the next day.<\/p>\n<p>Train No.06015 Velankanni \u2013 Ernakulam Jn. special fare special train will leave Velankanni at 23.45 hrs. on 29<sup>th<\/sup>\u00a0August, 02<sup>nd<\/sup>, 05<sup>th<\/sup>\u00a0&amp; 09<sup>th<\/sup>\u00a0September, 2018 and reach Ernakulam Jn. at 13.40 hrs. the next day.<\/p>\n<p><u>Composition<\/u>:\u00a0\u00a0AC 3-tier \u2013\u00a0<strong>1<\/strong>,\u00a0Sleeper Class \u2013\u00a0<strong>12<\/strong>\u00a0&amp; General Second Class \u2013\u00a0<strong>3<\/strong>\u00a0coaches.<\/p>\n<p><u>Stoppages<\/u>:\u00a0\u00a0Aluva, Thrisur, Palakkad, Coimbatore, Tiruppur, Erode, Karur, Tiruchchirappalli, Thanjavur, Tiruvarur and Nagapattinam.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>12.Special fare special trains between Tirunelveli \u2013 Mangalore Jn.<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Train No.06019 Tirunelveli \u2013 Mangalore Jn. special fare special train will leave Tirunelveli at 17.55 hrs. on\u00a0<span data-term=\"goog_2125827850\">23.08.2018<\/span>\u00a0and reach Mangalore Jn. at 12.30 hrs. the next day.<\/p>\n<p>Train No.06020 Mangalore Jn. \u2013 Tirunelveli special fare special train will leave Mangalore Jn. at 15.40 hrs. on\u00a0<span data-term=\"goog_2125827851\">24.08.2018<\/span>\u00a0and reach Tirunelveli at 09.45 hrs. the next day.<\/p>\n<p><u>Composition<\/u>:\u00a0\u00a0AC 2-tier \u2013\u00a0<strong>1<\/strong>, AC 3-tier \u2013\u00a0<strong>3<\/strong>,\u00a0Sleeper Class \u2013\u00a0<strong>9\u00a0<\/strong>&amp; General Second Class\u2013<strong>6<\/strong>\u00a0coaches.<\/p>\n<p><u>Stoppages<\/u>:\u00a0\u00a0Nagercoil Town, Kulitturai, Neyyattinkara, Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Kayamkulam, Chengannur, Tiruvalla, Kottayam, Ernakulam Town, Aluva, Thrisur, Shoranur Jn., Tirur, Kozhikkode, Vadakara Thalassery, Kannur, Payyanur, Kanhangad and Kasaragod.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>13.Special fare special trains between Nagercoil Jn. \u2013 Mangalore Jn.<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Train No.06023 Nagercoil Jn. \u2013 Mangalore Jn. special fare special train will leave Nagercoil Jn. at 16.15 hrs. on\u00a0<span data-term=\"goog_2125827852\">26.08.2018<\/span>\u00a0and reach Mangalore Jn. at 06.30 hrs. the next day.<\/p>\n<p>Train No.06024 Mangalore Jn. \u2013 Nagercoil Jn. special fare special train will leave Mangalore Jn. at 08.30 hrs. on\u00a0<span data-term=\"goog_2125827853\">27.08.2018<\/span>\u00a0and reach Nagercoil Jn. at 22.15 hrs. the next day.<\/p>\n<p><u>Composition<\/u>:\u00a0\u00a0AC 2-tier \u2013\u00a0<strong>1<\/strong>, AC 3-tier \u2013\u00a0<strong>3<\/strong>,\u00a0Sleeper Class \u2013\u00a0<strong>13<\/strong>, General Second Class \u2013\u00a0<strong>3<\/strong>\u00a0&amp; Luggage-cum-brake van \u2013\u00a0<strong>2<\/strong>\u00a0coaches.<\/p>\n<p><u>Stoppages<\/u>:\u00a0\u00a0Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Kayamkulam, Chengannur, Tiruvalla, Kottayam, Ernakulam Town, Aluva, Thrisur, Shoranur Jn., Kozhikkode, Kannur and Kasaragod.<\/p>\n<h2><b><u>VELANKANNI\u00a0\u00a0FESTIVALS SPECIAL TRAINS<\/u><\/b><\/h2>\n<h3><b>1.\u00a0\u00a0<\/b>\u00a0<b>Special fare special trains between Thiruvananthapuram \u2013 Velankanni<\/b><\/h3>\n<p>Train No.06046 Thiruvananthapuram \u2013 Velankanni special fare special train will leave Thiruvananthapuram at 15.30 hrs. on\u00a0<span class=\"aBn\" data-term=\"goog_342011803\"><span class=\"aQJ\">29.08.2018 &amp; 05.09.2018<\/span><\/span>and reach Velankanni at 03.45 hrs. the next day.<\/p>\n<p>Train No.06045 Velankanni \u2013 Thiruvananthapuram special fare special train will leave Velankanni at 22.10 hrs. on\u00a0<span class=\"aBn\" data-term=\"goog_342011804\"><span class=\"aQJ\">30.08.2018 &amp; 06.09.2018<\/span><\/span>\u00a0and reach Thiruvananthapuram at 12.15 hrs. the next day.<\/p>\n<p><u>Composition<\/u>:\u00a0\u00a0AC 2-tier \u2013\u00a0<b>2<\/b>, AC 3-tier \u2013\u00a0<b>3<\/b>,\u00a0Sleeper Class \u2013\u00a0<b>11<\/b>, General Second Class \u2013\u00a0<b>2<\/b>\u00a0&amp; Luggage-cum-brake van \u2013\u00a0<b>2<\/b>\u00a0coaches.<\/p>\n<p><u>Stoppages<\/u>:\u00a0\u00a0Kulitturai, Eraniel, Nagercoil Town, Valliyur, Tirunelveli, Kovilpatti, Satur, Virudhunagar, Madurai, Dindigul, Tiruchchirappalli, Thanjavur, Tiruvarur and Nagapattinam.<\/p>\n<h3><b>2.\u00a0\u00a0<\/b>\u00a0<b>Special fare special trains between Ernakulam Jn. \u2013 Velankanni<\/b><\/h3>\n<p>Train No.06016 Ernakulam Jn. \u2013 Velankanni special fare special train will leave Ernakulam Jn. at 23.00 hrs. on 28<sup>th<\/sup>, 31<sup>st<\/sup>\u00a0August and 04<sup>th<\/sup>\u00a0&amp; 07<sup>th<\/sup>\u00a0September, 2018 and reach Velankanni at 13.00 hrs. the next day.<\/p>\n<p>Train No.06015 Velankanni \u2013 Ernakulam Jn. special fare special train will leave Velankanni at 23.45 hrs. on 29<sup>th<\/sup>\u00a0August, 02<sup>nd<\/sup>, 05<sup>th<\/sup>\u00a0&amp; 09<sup>th<\/sup>\u00a0September, 2018 and reach Ernakulam Jn. at 13.40 hrs. the next day.<\/p>\n<p><u>Composition<\/u>:\u00a0\u00a0AC 3-tier \u2013\u00a0<b>1<\/b>,\u00a0Sleeper Class \u2013\u00a0<b>12<\/b>\u00a0&amp; General Second Class \u2013\u00a0<b>3<\/b>\u00a0coaches.<\/p>\n<p><u>Stoppages<\/u>:\u00a0\u00a0Aluva, Thrisur, Palakkad, Coimbatore, Tiruppur, Erode, Karur, Tiruchchirappalli, Thanjavur, Tiruvarur and Nagapattinam.<\/p>\n<h2 align=\"center\"><b>Advance reservations for the above trains will commence are open<\/b><\/h2>\n<h3><strong>About Velankanni Festival:<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><b>Velankanni<\/b>\u00a0(<i>V\u0113\u1e37\u0101\u1e45ka\u1e47\u1e47i<\/i>), is a\u00a0Special Grade Panchayat Town\u00a0in\u00a0Nagapattinam district\u00a0in the\u00a0Indian\u00a0state\u00a0of\u00a0Tamil Nadu. It lies on the\u00a0Coromandel Coast\u00a0of the\u00a0Bay of Bengal, 350\u00a0km south of\u00a0Chennai\u00a0(Madras) and 12\u00a0km south of\u00a0Nagapattinam.<\/p>\n<p>Once a\u00a0port\u00a0that traded with\u00a0Rome\u00a0and\u00a0Greece,<sup id=\"cite_ref-1\" class=\"reference\"><\/sup>\u00a0the tiny commercial center gradually lost its importance to the larger city of\u00a0Nagapattinam.\u00a0The town is home to one of the most visited\u00a0Roman Catholic\u00a0Latin Rite\u00a0shrines\u00a0called the\u00a0Basilica of Our Lady of Good Health.<\/p>\n<p>Velankanni has been chosen as one of the heritage cities for\u00a0HRIDAY \u2013 Heritage City Development and Augmentation Yojana scheme of Government of India by the NDA Government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.<\/p>\n<p align=\"justify\">Railway track work has been completed up to Velankanni which connects Velankanni with Nagapattinam. Passenger services got started on this route with effect from 21 December,2010. There are two local trains running towards Nagapattinam daily in the morning and evening. Now there also exists Velankanni Express Train (No:17315) from Vasco-Da-Gama(VSG) in Goa to Velankanni(VLKN) andVelankanni-VSG Express Train (No:17316) from Velankanni(VLKN) to Vasco-Da-Gama(VSG).<\/p>\n<p align=\"justify\">Nagapattinam, which is just 12 km away using seashore road or 18 km using proper road, is well rail-connected to all major cities in India through Chennai and Trichy. Taxi services can be availed from Nagapattinam to Velankanni for a charge of about INR250.<\/p>\n<h3><strong><span id=\"Basilica_of_Our_Lady_of_Good_Health\" class=\"mw-headline\">About Basilica of Our Lady of Good Health<\/span>\u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Velankanni has one of the country\u2019s biggest Catholic pilgrimage centres, the Basilica of Our Lady of Good Health. Devoted to\u00a0Our Lady of Good Health, it is popularly known as the \u201cLourdes\u00a0of the East\u201d Its origins can be traced back to the 16th century. The church\u2019s founding is attributed to three\u00a0miracles: the\u00a0apparition\u00a0of\u00a0Mary\u00a0and\u00a0Jesus\u00a0to a slumbering\u00a0shepherd\u00a0boy, the curing of a lame\u00a0buttermilk\u00a0vendor, and the survival of\u00a0Portuguese\u00a0sailors assaulted by a violent sea storm. It is built in the\u00a0Gothic\u00a0style, was modified by Portuguese and then further expanded later on due to the influx of pilgrims. The church building was raised to the status of\u00a0basilica\u00a0in 1962 by\u00a0Pope John XXIII.<\/p>\n<p>The chapel was finally built by Portuguese sailors. More than 500 years later, the nine-day festival and celebration is still observed and draws nearly 2 million\u00a0pilgrims\u00a0each year. The Shrine of Our Lady of Vailankanni, also known as the \u201cLourdes\u00a0of the East,\u201d is one of the most-frequented religious sites in\u00a0India. Annually, 4 million pilgrims flock to the shrine from all over India and abroad, out which an estimated 3 million people visit the shrine during its annual festival from 29 August to 8 September.\u00a0<sup id=\"cite_ref-CWN_3-1\" class=\"reference\"><\/sup>The 11-day annual festival concludes with the celebration of the\u00a0Feast of the Nativity of Mary\u00a0on 8 September.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Railways run Special\/Special Fare Trains to various pilgrim centres like Ajmer Dargah, Halkatta Shareef Dargah\/Wadi, Ameenpeer Dargah\/Kadapa, Takht Sachkhand Sri Hazur Abchalnagar Sahib Gurudwara\/Nanded, Takht Sri Harmandir Sahib Gurdwara\/Patna, Ramayana Express to Ayodhya and to Tirupati and other religious destinations epitomizing the principles of religious values and the truest form of secularism. Velankanni Railway Station [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":96,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[726],"tags":[827,828,829],"class_list":["post-8870","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-indian-railways","tag-indian-railways-runs-special-trains","tag-indian-railways-runs-special-trains-for-velankanni-festival","tag-indian-railways-runs-special-trains-for-velankanni-festival-shrine-basilica-of-our-lady-of-health-church"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.reilsolar.com\/irctc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8870","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.reilsolar.com\/irctc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.reilsolar.com\/irctc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.reilsolar.com\/irctc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/96"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.reilsolar.com\/irctc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8870"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.reilsolar.com\/irctc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8870\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.reilsolar.com\/irctc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8870"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.reilsolar.com\/irctc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8870"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.reilsolar.com\/irctc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8870"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}