On 20 November 2011, one of the four pairs of Vivek Express trains began serving between Dibrugarh in Assam and Kanyakumari in Tamil Nadu, joining the Northeast with the southernmost tip of the Indian subcontinent.
The Dibrugarh–Kanyakumari Vivek Express currently holds the record for being the longest running train route in the country in terms of both distance and time, and the 9th longest in the world. The train traverses seven states – Assam, West Bengal, Bihar, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala and Tamil Nadu – covering a distance of 4,273 km. It completes the 57-halt-journey in 83:05 hours.
Previously this record was held by Himsagar Express, which covers a distance of 3,791 km connecting Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra in Jammu and Kashmir and Kanyakumari in Tamil Nadu. The train traverses 12 Indian states in its nearly-72-hour journey.
