Chennai – Tirunelveli Vande Bharat Express (20665 / 20666)

Timetable last checked 12 November 2026 (data from 11 November 2026). Fares checked 12 November 2026.

Train summary

Train pages: 20665, 20666.

Which Chennai station? This Vande Bharat Express uses Chennai Egmore (MS), not Chennai Central (MAS). The two stations are different terminals, so check the station on your ticket before you leave home. If you live in the southern suburbs, Tambaram (TBM) is the first stop, 20 minutes out of Egmore, and is often the easier place to board.

Which Tirunelveli station? The train starts and ends at Tirunelveli (TEN), the main station of the city, also called Nellai. That is why the train is often called the Nellai Vande Bharat.

The pair runs as a down-and-back from the south: 20666 brings the train up to Chennai in the morning, and 20665 takes it back the same afternoon.

20665 Chennai Egmore to Tirunelveli timetable

20666 Tirunelveli to Chennai Egmore timetable

All stops are on the same day. Madurai and Tiruchchirappalli get a 5-minute halt; every other intermediate stop is 2 minutes, so be at the door with your bags before the train pulls in. For live running status, use NTES with train number 20665 or 20666.

Over the full route the timetable works out to an average of about 83 km/h on 20665 and about 82 km/h on 20666, including stops.

Vande Bharat Chennai to Madurai

Many people searching for a Chennai to Madurai Vande Bharat train end up on this one, because 20665 and 20666 both stop at Madurai Jn (MDU). It is not a separate train; you simply buy a ticket for the part of the route you need.

From Chennai, the afternoon departure gets you into Madurai at 20:45, early enough for dinner in the city. From Madurai, the 08:00 departure reaches Egmore at 14:00, which suits an afternoon appointment in Chennai. The distance differs by a kilometre between the two directions because that is how the timetable records it.

Madurai is also served by other Vande Bharat trains, including one that starts there for Bengaluru. See the Tamil Nadu Vande Bharat list for every train in the state.

Boarding at Tiruchchirappalli, Dindigul and other stops

You do not have to start at Chennai Egmore or Tirunelveli. Every stop below is a boarding and alighting point, and IRCTC sells tickets between any two of them.

Train 20665, Chennai Egmore → Tirunelveli, and its return 20666:

• Tambaram (TBM). 20665 arrives at 15:30, 20 min and 25 km after Egmore, with 7 h 28 min and 628 km still to go. In the other direction, 20666 calls here at 13:18, 40 min before Egmore.
• Villupuram Jn (VM). 20665 arrives at 17:00, 1 h 50 min and 159 km out. 20666 calls at 11:48.
• Vridhachalam Jn (VRI). 20665 arrives at 17:32, 2 h 22 min and 213 km out. 20666 calls at 11:08.
• Tiruchchirappalli Jn (TPJ). 20665 arrives at 19:00, 3 h 50 min and 336 km out, with 3 h 55 min and 317 km left to Tirunelveli. 20666 calls at 09:45. Trichy sits almost exactly halfway.
• Dindigul Jn (DG). 20665 arrives at 19:58, 4 h 48 min and 431 km out. 20666 calls at 08:43.
• Madurai Jn (MDU). 20665 arrives at 20:45, 5 h 35 min and 497 km out, with 2 h 10 min and 156 km left. 20666 calls at 07:55.
• Virudunagar Jn (VPT). 20665 arrives at 21:20, 6 h 10 min and 540 km out. 20666 calls at 07:18.
• Kovilpatti (CVP). 20665 arrives at 21:48, 6 h 38 min and 588 km out, with 1 h 10 min and 65 km to go. 20666 calls at 06:38, its first stop after Tirunelveli.

To board at an intermediate station, search from that station on IRCTC, or change the boarding point of an existing e-ticket before the chart. See the ticket change guide.

Can you go and return the same day by Vande Bharat?

• From Tirunelveli: take 20666, which reaches Chennai Egmore at 14:00, and come back on 20665 at 15:10. That leaves 1 h 10 min in Chennai, enough for a short meeting near Egmore but not much more.
• From Madurai: 20666 leaves at 08:00 and reaches Egmore at 14:00; 20665 leaves Egmore at 15:10 and is back in Madurai at 20:45. You get the same 1 h 10 min in Chennai.
• From Chennai: no. 20665 reaches Tirunelveli at 23:00 and the next 20666 leaves at 06:00, so you need at least one night at the southern end.

Both trains must run on your date, and neither runs on Tuesday. A late arrival into Egmore eats into a 70-minute gap quickly, so treat this as an option for short errands only. The same-day return planner checks this for any pair of stations.

Coaches and seats

The Chennai Egmore–Tirunelveli Vande Bharat started with an eight-coach train. It was flagged off by Prime Minister Narendra Modi by video link with a run from Tirunelveli on Sunday, 24 September 2023, as one of nine new Vande Bharat trains that day. Source: DT Next Southern Railway doubled it to a 16-car rake from January 2025. Source: DT Next It was then lengthened to 20 coaches from 24 September 2025, raising the seats from 1,128 to 1,440. Source: DT Next Railways can swap a rake at short notice, so treat this as the latest reported formation.

CC has 3+2 seating and EC has wider 2+2 seats. See CC vs EC and the seat guide for window seats and coach layouts.

Chennai to Tirunelveli Vande Bharat ticket price

Fares are for one adult, General quota, with the meal, checked 12 November 2026. They come from erail.in’s record of IRCTC fares, and we kept a figure only where it agreed with erail’s own fare calculation from the official fare rules, so confirm on IRCTC before you pay. Choosing No Food lowers the price by the meal charge; we could not confirm the no-food fare for this route.

The Tirunelveli to Chennai Vande Bharat costs ₹55 more in CC and ₹50 more in EC than the Chennai to Tirunelveli train. Both cover the same 653 km, so the difference most likely comes from the meal charge (20666 leaves at 06:00, 20665 at 15:10), but IRCTC’s fare data we used does not break it down. EC costs ₹1,395 more than CC on 20665 and ₹1,390 more on 20666.

Chennai to Madurai fare: we could not confirm the Vande Bharat Chennai to Madurai fare, or fares for any other part of the route. It is lower than the full-route fare because it is shorter. Check your exact station pair on IRCTC, or estimate it with the fare calculator.

How the price is built is the same on every Vande Bharat Chair Car train: a base fare set by distance and class, a reservation charge, a superfast charge, GST, and the catering charge if you keep the meal. There is no dynamic fare, so the price does not rise as seats fill up; only availability changes. Source: PIB, February 2026 Read the full breakdown in how Vande Bharat ticket prices work, and see the food guide for what the meal includes.

Booking the Chennai Tirunelveli Vande Bharat train

Booking for 20665 and 20666 opens on IRCTC 60 days before the journey, at 08:00 IST, not counting the journey day. For a journey on Monday 11 January 2027, booking opens on Thursday 12 November 2026 at 08:00. Find the date for your trip with the booking date calculator.

When you search on IRCTC, enter Chennai Egmore (MS), not Chennai Central, or the train will not appear. The same applies to the IRCTC app and other booking apps.

If CC shows a long waiting list, check EC as well, and check whether a ticket from Tambaram is available. A ticket still waitlisted when the chart is made is cancelled and refunded automatically, less ₹60 clerkage plus GST (₹63) per passenger. Tatkal opens at 10:00 IST the day before the train leaves its first station: for 20665 that is the day before it leaves Egmore, and for 20666 the day before it leaves Tirunelveli. See the Tatkal guide.

The booking guide covers IRCTC step by step, including quotas, waiting lists and how to pick a seat.

Refund if you cancel a Chennai Tirunelveli Vande Bharat ticket

Indian Railways counts the refund bands from the train’s scheduled departure at its first station, not from where you board. A passenger boarding 20665 at Madurai still counts from the 15:10 departure at Chennai Egmore. For a confirmed full-route ticket, per passenger:

• 20665 in CC (₹1,635): more than 72 hours before, about ₹1,446 back; 72 to 24 hours before, about ₹1,206; 24 to 8 hours before, about ₹777; less than 8 hours before, nothing.
• 20665 in EC (₹3,030): more than 72 hours before, about ₹2,778; 72 to 24 hours before, about ₹2,235; 24 to 8 hours before, about ₹1,439; less than 8 hours before, nothing.
• 20666 in CC (₹1,690): more than 72 hours before, about ₹1,501; 72 to 24 hours before, about ₹1,246; 24 to 8 hours before, about ₹803; less than 8 hours before, nothing.
• 20666 in EC (₹3,080): more than 72 hours before, about ₹2,828; 72 to 24 hours before, about ₹2,272; 24 to 8 hours before, about ₹1,463; less than 8 hours before, nothing.

These use the 72, 24 and 8-hour bands the Ministry of Railways announced in March 2026; IRCTC’s published refund rules still show 48, 12 and 4 hours, so cancelling more than 72 hours ahead is the only band both rules agree on. GST on the charge can move these by a rupee or two, and the IRCTC cancellation screen is final. The full rules are in the Vande Bharat cancellation charges guide, and the refund calculator gives your own figure.

When is the chart prepared for the Chennai Tirunelveli Vande Bharat?

• 20666 leaves Tirunelveli at 06:00, so its first chart is prepared by 20:00 the evening before.
• 20665 leaves Chennai Egmore at 15:10, so its first chart is prepared by 05:10 on the day of travel (10 hours before departure).

After the first chart, waiting-list tickets are settled and your coach and seat number appear on the PNR. The chart preparation time tool works it out for any date.

Chennai Tirunelveli Vande Bharat FAQs

What is the timing of the Vande Bharat from Chennai to Tirunelveli? Train 20665 leaves Chennai Egmore at 15:10 and reaches Tirunelveli at 23:00, a journey of 7 h 50 min.

What is the timing of the Tirunelveli to Chennai Vande Bharat? Train 20666 leaves Tirunelveli at 06:00 and reaches Chennai Egmore at 14:00, a journey of 8 hours.

Does the Chennai Tirunelveli Vande Bharat leave from Chennai Central? No. It uses Chennai Egmore (MS). It also stops at Tambaram, 20 minutes from Egmore.

On which day does the Chennai Tirunelveli Vande Bharat not run? Tuesday, in both directions.

Is there a Vande Bharat from Chennai to Madurai? Yes. Train 20665 stops at Madurai Jn at 20:45 after leaving Chennai Egmore at 15:10. In the other direction, 20666 leaves Madurai at 08:00 and reaches Egmore at 14:00.

What is the Chennai to Tirunelveli Vande Bharat ticket price? With the meal, ₹1,635 in CC and ₹3,030 in EC on 20665, and ₹1,690 in CC and ₹3,080 in EC on 20666 for the return (checked 12 November 2026). Confirm on IRCTC before paying.

What are the 20665 and 20666 train numbers? 20665 runs from Chennai Egmore to Tirunelveli, and 20666 from Tirunelveli to Chennai Egmore. The pair is 20665/20666.

How many stops does the Chennai Tirunelveli Vande Bharat Express have? Eight intermediate stops: Tambaram, Villupuram, Vridhachalam, Tiruchchirappalli, Dindigul, Madurai, Virudunagar and Kovilpatti, in reverse order for 20666.

What time does the Chennai Tirunelveli Vande Bharat reach Trichy? Train 20665 reaches Tiruchchirappalli Jn at 19:00, and 20666 in the other direction at 09:45.

When does booking open for the Chennai Tirunelveli Vande Bharat? 60 days before the journey at 08:00 IST on IRCTC. For Monday 11 January 2027, it opens on Thursday 12 November 2026.

When was the Chennai Tirunelveli Vande Bharat launched? It was flagged off on 24 September 2023 with an eight-coach train, and now runs with 20 coaches.

When is the chart prepared for 20665 and 20666? For 20666, which leaves at 06:00, by 20:00 the evening before. For 20665, which leaves at 15:10, by 05:10 on the day of travel.

Related routes

• Vande Bharat routes in Tamil Nadu
• Chennai – Coimbatore Vande Bharat
• Full Vande Bharat route list

Sources

Timetable, stops and running days: erail 20665, erail 20666, cross-checked with ConfirmTkt 20665 and ConfirmTkt 20666, 11 November 2026. Fares: erail.in’s IRCTC fare data, cross-checked against its fare calculation, 12 November 2026. Launch and coaches: DT Next, September 2023, DT Next, January 2025, DT Next, September 2025. Fare rules: PIB, February 2026. Always confirm on IRCTC or NTES before travel. Report a correction.