Kerala gets its first Vande Bharat Express train: Ten things to know

Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagged off Kerala's first Vande Bharat train on Tuesday. The Prime Minister was joined by Kerala Governor Arif Mohammad Khan, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and Congress MP from Thiruvananthapuram Shashi Tharoor. PM Modi also interacted with some school children prior to flagging off the semi-high-speed train.

Also Read: Kasaragod – Thiruvananthapuram Kerala Vande Bharat Express: Fare, timings, stoppages, other details

10 things to know about Kerala's first Vande Bharat Express: 

1) PM Narendra Modi flagged off Kerala's first Vande Bharat Express from the Thiruvananthapuram Central Railway Station at around10:30 am.

2) Kerala is the fourth South Indian state to get the Vande Bharat train after Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, and Karnataka.

 3) The train will run between Thiruvananthapuram and Kasargod, covering 11 districts in the process namely Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Kottayam, Ernakulam, Thrissur, Palakkad, Pathanamthitta, Malappuram, Kozhikode, Kannur and Kasargod.

4) According to the schedule drawn up for the newest Vande Bharat Express, it will cover the distance between Kasaragod and Thiruvananthapuram Central in 8 hours and 05 minutes which is even faster than the Rajdhani Express which takes around 10 hours and 45 minutes.

Also Read: PM Modi LIVE: Narendra Modi flags off Kerala's 1st Vande Bharat Express

5)The Thiruvananthapuram Central - Kasaragod Vande Bharat Express is seen as an alternative to the LDF-led state government's semi-high-speed corridor, SilverLine.

6) The newly launched Vande Bharat Express will start its regular operations from April 26. The train will depart from Thiruvananthapuram at 5.20 am and reach Kasargod at 1:25 pm Similarly, the train will depart from Kasargod at 2:30 pm and reach Thiruvananthapuram at 10:35 pm

7) The fare for 586 km journey from Thiruvananthapuram to Kasargod is ₹1,590 for AC Chair Car (CC) and ₹2,880 for Executive AC Chair Car.

8) The Thiruvananthapuram Central-Kasaragod Vande Bharat express will run on all days with the exception of Thursday. 

9) Railway Ministry is also planning to upgrade the tracks in Kerala in two phases. The first phase has been sanctioned with a focus to convert the entire track from Kasaragod to Thiruvananthapuram to a speed potential of 110 kmph within one-and-a-half years.

10) During his Kerala visit, PM Narendra Modi will also inaugurate the Kochi Water Metro project. The project will connect 10 islands around Kochi through battery-operated electric hybrid boats.

(With inputs from agencies)