Vizag-Vij Uday Double-Decker Express to chug off from August 27

Visakhapatnam: The busy route between Visakhapatnam and Vijayawada will now see a bright-coloured double-decker Uday Express chugging off as the tracks are getting ready for the train to become operational from August 27.

After its recent trial run till Vizianagaram, it is learnt that the regular operation of the air-conditioned chair car with nine double-decker coaches plus two power cars is rescheduled on August 27 followed by a flagging off ceremony by Minister of State for Railways Suresh Angadi scheduled for August 26.

With a seating capacity of 120 per coach and 104 seats where dining facility is provided, the train will have stoppages at Duvvada, Anakapalle, Tuni, Samarlakota, Rajamahendravaram and Eluru before reaching Vijayawada.

Uday Express primarily caters to routes comprising heavy passenger traffic. While train no: 22701 will depart from Visakhapatnam, train no: 22702 will depart from Vijayawada in the return direction.

With dining facilities provided in three coaches, WiFi connection, LCD screens and comfortable interiors, the train will take five-and-a-half hours to reach Vijayawada from Visakhapatnam and will take five minutes less time to reach Visakhapatnam from Vijayawada. The train will run for five days in a week –Monday to Wednesday and Friday to Saturday.

While the tentative departure time of Visakhapatnam-Vijayawada Uday Express is scheduled at 5:45 am, its return journey is expected to start at 5:30 pm from Vijayawada.

Earlier, the double-decker train was expected to be operational by August 15. However, due to the requirement of further fine-tuning, the service has been rescheduled 10 days later.