Bengaluru to Nagercoil via Thiruvananthapuram; New Vande Bharat to Kerala

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Union Minister Suresh Gopi hinted that two more Vande Bharat services will soon begin in Kerala. Suresh Gopi clarified that the Vande Bharat sleeper train will be the next one and admitted to getting information from trusted sources within the central government. He was speaking at the flag-off ceremony for increasing the number of coaches of the Ernakulam-Bengaluru Vande Bharat Express from eight to 16.

Currently, three Vande Bharat trains are operating in Kerala. They are Kasaragod-Thiruvananthapuram, Mangalore-Thiruvananthapuram, and Ernakulam-Bengaluru. Two more are going to come in addition to these. The sleeper train will be started from Bengaluru to make night travel easier. The service will depart from Bengaluru and go to Nagercoil via Ernakulam. If become reality, the need for a Vande Bharat from Thiruvananthapuram to Bengaluru will also be solved. Suresh Gopi said that the new trains would be introduced during the Pooja season.

MoS Suresh Gopi also mentioned the extension of the Vande Bharat Express, which operates from Goa to Mangaluru, to Kozhikode. There is already a demand for the Vande Bharat Express, which operates from Madgaon to Mangaluru, to be extended to Kannur. Suresh Gopi mentioned that the Malabar Chamber of Commerce has requested that it be extended to Kozhikode.