Visakhapatnam, Aug 12 (IANS): A new train connecting Andhra Pradesh and New Delhi was flagged off by Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu on Wednesday. The existing AP Express connecting New Delhi and Hyderabad will now be called Telangana Express.

The Visakhapatnam-New Delhi-Visakhapatnam Super Fast AC AP Express began its maiden journey from this coastal city after the minister flagged off the train through video linking from Rail Bhavan in New Delhi.

The tri-weekly express will leave from Vizag, as the coastal city is also called, every Wednesday, Friday and Sunday at 7.45 a.m. and will reach New Delhi at 7 p.m. the next day.

It will stop at Duvvada, Vijayawada, Anakapalli, Samalkot, Rajahmundry, Tadepalligudem and Eluru in Andhra Pradesh and Khammam, Warangal, Peddapalli, Ramagundum and Sirpur Kagaznagar in Telangana.

It will also stop at Balharshah, Chandrapur, Nagpur JN, Itarsi, Bhopal, Jhansi, Gwalior and Agra Cantt., taking over 36 hours to cover the 2,099 km.

The train will leave from New Delhi every Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 6.40 a.m.

Though it was originally proposed to run the AP Express from New Delhi to Vijayawada daily, as announced in the railway budget, it was decided the train will originate from Vizag and run via Vijayawada following popular demands.

Prabhu said that with the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh, separate trains were sanctioned for the two states.

He announced that the existing AP Express between Hyderabad and New Delhi will now be called Telangana Express. Officially this will come into effect only from November 15.

The existing AP Express is a daily train, connecting Hyderabad with New Delhi.

Urban Development Minister M. Venkaiah Naidu said discussions were on to make Vizag a separate railway zone.

The ceremony in Delhi was also attended by union Ministers Ashok Gajapati Raju, Y.S. Chowdary and Bandaru Dattatreya while MPs and state ministers from coastal Andhra were present at the Vizag railway station.