Palakkad, Monday 29 March 2010: Union Minister of State for Railways E. Ahamed will flag off the inaugural run of the 2997-2998 Tirunelveli-Hapa-Tirunelveli superfast weekly express at Tirunelveli on Tuesday.

The service, earlier announced as bi-weekly, is being made a weekly one due to a shortage of rakes, a Southern Railway press release said here on Sunday.

The train will leave Tirunelveli on Monday and Hapa on Friday.
The train, via Thiruvananthapuram, Kozhikode and Konkan, will have one air-conditioned two tier, eight sleeper and six general second class coaches in addition to two luggage-cum-brake vans.

Train number 2997 will leave Tirunelveli at 5.45 a.m. It will reach Nagarcoil Town at 7.20 a.m.; Thiruvananthapuram 9.10 a.m.; Kollam 10.10 a.m.; Kayamkulam 10.50 a.m.; Alappuzha 11.38 a.m.; Ernakulam Junction 12.45 p.m.; Aluva 1.07 p.m.; Thrissur 2.15 p.m.; Shoranur Junction 3.15 p.m.; Kozhikode 4.45 p.m.; Kannur 6.15 p.m. and Kasaragod at 7.40 p.m..

Train number 2998 will leave Hapa at 9.25 p.m. It will reach Kasaragod at 3.15 a.m.; Kannur 4.45 a.m.; Kozhikode 6.15 a.m.; Shoranur Junction 8.10 a.m.; Thrissur 9 a.m.; Ernakulam Junction 10 a.m.; Alapuzha 11.38 a.m.; Kayamkulam 12.32 p.m.; Kollam 1.20 p.m.; Thiruvananthapuram 2.30 p.m.; Nagarcoil Town 3.50 p.m.; and Tirunelveli at 5.50 p.m. on Sunday.