India`s longest train route: Dibrugarh - Kanyakumari Vivek Express covers over 4,000 kms travelling via 9 states

Indian Railways are undoubtedly the lifeline of India as it connects almost every state from north-south; Meet Vivek Express that covers over 4,000 kms and is India`s longest train route.

Indian Railways is the most preferred mode of transport and has the largest railway network in the world. Indian Railways is over two centuries old and holds a rail network of over thousands of kilometers. This rail network has connected the most remote areas to major metropolitan cities of India. From bridging the gap between north and south to east and west, Indian Railways has covered it all. Having said that, THIS train covers the longest distance of 4,150 kilometers connecting Assam to Tamil Nadu. Vivek Express train covers the longest train route of Indian Railways in six days, by starting its train journey from Assam’s Dibrugarh and reaching Tamil Nadu’s Kanyakumari in approximately 74-79 hours. 

During its journey, the Vivek Express running from Dibrugarh to Kanyakumari crosses a total of 9 states and has 58 halts en route its journey. The longest train route goes through Tinsukia, Dimapur, Guwahati, Bongaigaon, Alipurduar, Siliguri, Kishanganj, Malda, Rampurhat, Pakur, Durgapur, Asansol, Kharagpur, Balasore, Cuttack, Bhubaneswar, Khordha, Brahmapur, Srikakulam, Vizianagaram, Visakhapatnam, Samalkot, Rajahmundry, Eluru, Vijayawada, Ongole, Nellore, Renigunta, Vellore, Salem, Erode, Coimbatore, Palakkad, Thrissur, Aluva, Ernakulam, Kottayam, Chengannur, Kollam, Thiruvananthapuram, and Nagercoil.

The Dibrugarh-Kanyakumari rail route was announced in 2011 by Mamata Banerjee and was one of the four routes which were started after the commencement of the Vivek Express train.  The train route was established to commemorate the 150th birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda.

However, Vivek Express covers other routes too like Gujarat to Thoothukudi, Tamil Nadu; Bandra, Mumbai to Katra, Jammu; Howrah, West Bengal to Mangaluru, Karnataka.

Although the longest in the country, the Vivek Express is yet to compete with the world’s longest train route. This Russian rail route connects the western part of the country to the far eastern parts, and covers 9,250 kilometers (almost double the distance covered by Vivek Express). This is the Trans-Siberian Railway that connects Moscow and Vladivostok and is the world's longest train route.