Vande Bharat success in Kerala: two more trains to be extended to the state?

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Bengaluru–Ernakulam Junction–Bengaluru Vande Bharat Express will start regular service from Tuesday. With this, the total number of Vande Bharat trains in Kerala will rise to three. The currently operating services are the Thiruvananthapuram–Kasaragod–Thiruvananthapuram and Mangaluru–Thiruvananthapuram–Mangaluru trains. Tickets for the new Bengaluru Vande Bharat were sold out within minutes, with all Executive Chair Car seats for the first week fully booked.

Like the other two Vande Bharat trains, the Railways has high expectations for the occupancy rate of the third service as well. For Southern Railway, Kerala has proven to be a strong market for Vande Bharat trains. The number of coaches on the first two trains had to be increased later due to demand. A similar situation is expected for the Bengaluru–Ernakulam Vande Bharat.

As for ticket fares on the new service, the fare from Ernakulam to Bengaluru is Rs 1,615 for Chair Car and Rs 2,980 for Executive Chair Car. From Thrissur to Bengaluru, the Chair Car ticket costs Rs 1,505. From Palakkad, the fare is Rs 1,360 for Chair Car and Rs 2,470 for Executive Chair Car. Tens of thousands of Malayalis live in Bengaluru for education and IT jobs.

With high demand for tickets on the new Vande Bharat, the chances of the Railways approving two more proposals put forward by Kerala’s representatives have increased. There are renewed demands to extend the Chennai–Nagercoil Vande Bharat to Thiruvananthapuram Central and the Goa–Mangaluru Vande Bharat to Kozhikode. Among these, extending the loss-making Goa–Mangaluru service to Kozhikode is considered the more likely option.