Panna Lal, Salem Railway Divisional Manager, oversees the maiden journey of Amrit Bharat Express train from Erode to Jogbani at Erode Railway Junction in Tamil Nadu on Thursday.
| Photo Credit: M. Govarthan
The newly introduced Amrit Bharat Weekly Express between Erode and Jogbani in Bihar commenced its maiden journey from Erode Railway Junction on Thursday (September 25, 2025).
The superfast train is non-air-conditioned, with sleeper-class and unreserved coaches. It operates in a push-pull configuration with locomotives at both ends for faster acceleration and higher speeds, and has 22 coaches in total. Each sleeper coach has 80 berths, while each general second-class coach has 100 seats.
The Erode-Jogbani-Erode Amrit Bharat Express will traverse seven States — Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, and Bihar — covering 3,132 km. Jogbani, located in Bihar’s Araria district on the Indo-Nepal border, is a hub for cross-border trade and has a customs checkpoint. Its railway station is the last on the Indian side of the border. For security, the train is equipped with CCTV cameras.
The inaugural run of the service was flagged off on September 15. Regular operations began from Erode on September 25 and from Jogbani on September 28. Train No.16601 Erode-Jogbani Amrit Bharat Weekly Express will depart Erode Junction at 8.10 a.m. on Thursdays and reach Jogbani at 7 p.m. on Saturdays. In the return direction, Train No.16602 Jogbani-Erode Amrit Bharat Weekly Express will leave Jogbani at 3.15 p.m. on Sundays and arrive at Erode at 7.20 a.m. on Wednesdays.
Salem Railway Divisional Manager Panna Lal and senior officials were present at Erode Railway Junction on Thursday.
Published – September 25, 2025 01:16 pm IST
