Kerala's first Vande Bharat Express conducts trial run. Know about stoppages, other details
The Vande Bharat Express is likely to operate between Thiruvananthapuram and Kannur railway stations in Kerala
Indian Railways is all set to begin the operations of the fifteenth Vande Bharat Express in Kerala. It will be the fourth state in South India to get the premium train after Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, and Karnataka. Railway authorities have already begun the trial run of the semi-high-speed train.
The Vande Bharat Express is likely to operate between Thiruvananthapuram and Kannur railway stations. The train is expected to cover the distance of 501 between both terminal stations in 7.5 hours. The train is likely to stop at Kollam, Kottayam, Ernakulam Town, Thrissur, Kozhikode, however, as of now it has not been officially announced by the Union Railway Ministry.
Watch: VandeBharathExpress trial run from Thiruvananthapuram to Kollam
Prime Minister Narendra Modi may inaugurate the new train during his visit to Kerala later this according to top BJP officials of the state. They described it as a "Vishu kaineettam" to the people of the state from the Centre and the Prime Minister. According to tradition, elders of the family give gifts, especially money, to members of the house as "kaineettam" on the day of the harvest festival "Vishu", which falls on Saturday, April 15, this year.
The unexpected arrival of rakes of the semi-high speed train in Palakkad this morning from Chennai evoked a great response among local people, who thronged the station along with BJP workers to get a glimpse of it and accord it a grand reception.
The Congress-led UDF opposition in Kerala on Sunday urged the Union Railway Ministry to extend the route of the proposed Vande Bharat Express in the state upto Mangalore station in Karnataka so that people of Kerala's northernmost district of Kasaragod can also benefit from it.
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.
"Please note that Kasargod forms part of the existing railway system in the state and could have been seamlessly incorporated into the existing route of the Vande Bharat Express without much pain. Leaving out the northern district of Kasaragod is considered a grave injustice to the people of Kasaragod," the LoP said.
List of train routes on which Vande Bharat Express operates:
New Delhi - Varanasi Vande Bharat Express
New Delhi - Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra (J&K) Vande Bharat Express
Gandhinagar- Mumbai Vande Bharat Express
New Delhi - Amb Andaura Vande Bharat Express
Chennai-Mysuru Vande Bharat Express
Nagpur-Bilaspur Vande Bharat Express
Howrah - New Jalpaiguri Vande Bharat Express
Secunderabad-Visakhapatnam Vande Bharat Express
Mumbai- Solapur Vande Bharat Express
Mumbai- Shirdi Vande Bharat Express
Hazrat Nizamuddin- Rani Kamlapati station Vande Bharat Express
Secunderabad- Tirupati Vande Bharat Express
Chennai-Coimbatore Vande Bharat Express
Ajmer-Delhi Cantt Vande Bharat Express
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