Prime Minister Narendra Modi was scheduled to inaugurate the Tirunelveli? Chennai Vande Bharat Express Train via Videoconference. It was mentioned that the first train would depart from Tirunelveli Junction around noon and was expected to reach the capital in about 7.5 hours. It was also noted that the train would arrive at its starting location for mandatory testing before the launch event. In addition, Southern Railway would receive two more Vande Bharat trains. After the first ride, the Tirunelveli-Chennai train was expected to usually leave at 6am and arrive in Chennai around 1.50pm. The return trip would begin at 2:50 p.m. on all days except Tuesday from the state capital. According to reports, the locomotive would run at an average speed of 83.30 km per hour and stop in Virudhunagar, Madurai, Dindigul and Tiruchi.

It was mentioned that this would be Tamil Nadu's third Vande Bharat route, following the launch of the Chennai-Mysuru Vande Bharat Express in November of the previous year and then the Chennai-Coimbatore Vande Bharat train. The reports came shortly after officials confirmed that the first Vande Metro would be introduced in January of the following year, followed by the Vande Bharat sleeper train in March 2024.