Prime Minister flags off the Ernakulam-Bengaluru Vande Bharat; Regular service from Nov 11, bookings open

KOCHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi waved the green flag from Varanasi through a video conference on Saturday, letting the Ernakulam-Bengaluru Vande Bharat Express train make its first-ever run.

Students, journalists and representatives of the Railway Passengers Association took part in the maiden journey as special invitees. State Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar was the chief guest at the inauguration ceremony held at Ernakulam Junction Railway Station.

Union Ministers of State Suresh Gopi and George Kurien, State Ministers V. Abdurahiman and P. Rajeev, MPs Hibi Eden and Harris Beeran, Mayor Adv. M. Anil Kumar and T.J. Vinod MLA spoke at the event. Municipal Councillor Padmaja S Menon, District Collector G Priyanka, BJP state president Rajiv Chandrasekhar, Southern Railway Additional General Manager Vipin Kumar, and Thiruvananthapuram Divisional Railway Manager Divyakant Chandrakar were present at the function.

Bookings open

Vande Bharat regular service will start from 11 pm. Ticket bookings began on Saturday. Passengers can save two and a half hours through this Vande Bharat compared to regular train services on the Ernakulam-Bengaluru route.

Ticket fare including food

Chair car: ₹1615.00

Executive Chair: ₹2980.00

Train (No. 26651) departing from KSR Bengaluru at 05.10 am will reach Ernakulam Junction at 01.50 pm. Krishnarajapuram, Salem, Erode, Tiruppur, Coimbatore, Palakkad, Thrissur, and Ernakulam will have stops. The return journey will depart from Ernakulam Junction at 02.20 pm (No. 26652) and reach KSR Bengaluru station at 11.00 pm.