Kerala's first Vande Bharat train: WATCH here
1 min read . Updated: 19 Apr 2023, 01:25 PM IST
Premium- This will make Kerala the fourth state in South India to receive the premium Vande Bharat train, following Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, and Karnataka.
The Indian Railways is gearing up to commence the operations of its fifteenth Vande Bharat Express in the state of Kerala.
Kerala's first Vande Bharat train, which will be launched by PM Modi on April 25, reached Ernakulam from Thiruvananthapuram, ANI reported. This will make Kerala the fourth state in South India to receive the premium train, following Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, and Karnataka. Railway officials have already initiated the testing phase of the semi-high-speed train.
It is anticipated that the Vande Bharat Express will run between Thiruvananthapuram and Kannur railway stations in India. The train is projected to complete the 501-kilometre distance between the two terminals in 7.5 hours. Although it has not been officially announced by the Union Railway Ministry, it is expected that the train will stop at Kollam, Kottayam, Ernakulam Town, Thrissur, and Kozhikode.
After the announcement of the Vande Bharat train in Kerala, Union Minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan on Tuesday said people are thankful to PM Modi for announcing the semi-high-speed train in the state.
On Sunday, the opposition United Democratic Front (UDF), led by the Congress, called on the Union Railway Ministry to extend the proposed Vande Bharat Express's route in Kerala to include the Mangalore station in Karnataka.
This would allow residents of Kasaragod, the northernmost district of Kerala, to also reap the benefits of the train service.
In a letter to Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the State Assembly V D Satheesan has sought route extension to ensure “overall high-speed railway connectivity in the state".
Satheesan said that as per media reports, the existing route of the proposed Vande Bharat Express was from Thiruvananthapuram to Kannur, leaving out the northernmost district of Kasaragod.
(With inputs from agencies)