One of the reasons that TN didn't undergo changes was because GT was already there in the exact same route with a lot of stoppages. So demand for TN stoppages could be easily put down.
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But look at KK, it was not just connecting state capital to national capital, it also connected all those enroute stations to national capital because they didn't have any other train (like GT) before introduction of KK. Look at a small town like Adoni, if KK had been treated like TN, as an "exclusive super special"...
more... train, would it have connection to New Delhi. Even today for Adoni that is the only train to New Delhi.
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But KK's greatness was it was for a long time the only train to connect the backward Hyderbad-Karnatak region to their state capital. It is also one of the few trains with an average speed of more than 60 Km/Hr with 30 stoppages, that too on single diesel line for large parts of its route.