1. "that doesn't mean that they look down on trains with more halts" - May be not you, but you can't sum up for all - here is one who has absolute disdain for members who voted for KK - /blog/post/2205741
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2. I don't know why you brought up 'losing prestige' word within quotes, I never used it. I believe all trains serve all equally - /blog/post/2205741
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3. "The TN on the other hand had neither of these requirements. It had no other important place in Tamil nadu to serve, and neither did people need it for traveling to AP as there were many trains going to AP" -
Serving is just not helping the state's people to go to AP.
Serving also is just not transporting people of that state to Delhi.
But... it is also on the - reverse direction - helping people from other places beyond AP, NGP to come to Chennai. In that aspect GT helps out TN.
Take Mathura Junction or Bina Junction for example: if GT wasn't there, I am sure that political/people pressure would have been there to give stop for TN at these places. Whereas KK has no back-up so it has to give stops at Bina and Mathura to help people come to Bengaluru or vice versa.
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