Kerala's new Vande Bharat service from Tuesday; train to run six days a week

KOCHI: The third Vande Bharat train in Kerala will start service from November 11 (Tuesday). The announcement was made by Southern Railway. The railways also released the timings and stops of the new train. Kochi - Bengaluru - Kochi Vande Bharat (26651/26652) will operate six days a week. The train will operate from Ernakulam Junction to KSR Bengaluru station.

The first service will start from Bengaluru on November 11. The train will depart from Bengaluru at 5 am and will reach Ernakulam Junction at 1.50 pm. On the return journey, it will depart from Ernakulam Junction at 2.20 pm and reach Bengaluru at 11 pm. There are only 11 stops between Ernakulam and Bengaluru. Of these, three stops in Kerala are at Thrissur, Shoranur Junction and Palakkad Junction (Olavakode).

Other stops are Podanur, Coimbatore, Tiruppur, Erode, Salem, Jolarpettai, Krishnarajapuram and KSR Bengaluru. The need for a Vande Bharat service to Bengaluru, home to a sizable Malayali community, was a long-standing demand. It is expected that the new Vande Bharat service will end the huge loot by private bus lobbies during the festive seasons.