Howrah: A superfast train between Bengal and Tamil Nadu with only unreserved general class compartments targeted at emergency passengers was launched from Howrah station on Monday.

Rajen Gohain, minister of state for railways, flagged off the Santragachhi-Chennai Central Antyodaya Weekly Express at Howrah station around 3pm.

The train started from Howrah only for the inaugural run. It will leave Santragachhi every Monday at 7pm and reach Chennai at 10.45pm on Tuesday.

On the return trip, the train will leave Chennai Central at 8.10am every Wednesday and reach Santragachhi the next day at 10.25am.

This is the second Antyodaya Express train from Bengal. Former rail minister Suresh Prabhu had first proposed the Antyodaya trains in the 2016 rail budget.

The long-distance superfast trains have only general class compartments and run on dense routes.

The other Antyodaya Express from Bengal, launched in March 2017, runs between Howrah and Ernakulam on Kerala.

The train launched on Monday has 16 unreserved general class compartments fitted with luggage racks, charging points for mobile phones, drinking water dispensers, fire extinguishers, modular toilets and LED lighting.

The Santragachhi-Chennai Central Antyodaya will stop at 25 stations, including Kharagpur, Cuttack and Visakhapatnam.

The response to the weekly Howrah-Ernakulam Antyodaya Express prompted the railway authorities to introduce a second train from Bengal. "The train from Howrah has more than 2,000 passengers on average," Sanjoy Ghosh, South Eastern Railway spokesperson, said.

Gohain said the frequency of the trains could be increased depending on the passenger volume. "The trains will especially help people who need to travel south for specialised medical treatment. Tens of thousands of students from the state will find it useful, too," a railway official said.