The train began its life as the 41/42 Madras Central (MAS)–Cochin Terminus (CHTS) Kerala Express on 1 April 1966.

The reverse train departed Madras central at 16:00 am and arrived at Cochin harbour terminus at 06:00 am (similar to timings of present-day Thiruvananthapuram -Chennai Express).

In the 1980s the train got its stoppage removed from Coimbatore due to infrastructural constrains on the Irugur Junction–Coimbatore Junction line.

[12] During 1991, the historic train bid goodbye to Cochin Terminus as it was extended to the newly inaugurated line to Alleppey.

[7][13] In 2004 the train was to be converted to Superfast express category numbered 2681/2682, but due to strong protests, the move was not implemented.

It was again renumbered 16041/16042 in 2005.The Government of Kerala, in 2012, has officially asked an extension of this train to Vikram Sarabhai Terminal in the state capital of Thiruvananthapuram but the demand was never materialised and from 23 Sep 2012, the train reentered Coimbatore junction, after nearly a gap of 30 long years after the double line via Irugur was commissioned.