Trial run of Vande Bharat Express continues; only four hours taken to reach Thrissur from capital city

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The trial run of the newly sanctioned Vande Bharat Express to Kerala is continuing. The trial run started from Thiruvananthapuram around 5.10 am. The train was brought from Kochuveli yard to Thiruvananthapuram railway station Monday morning.

The train which reached Kollam in 50 minutes reached Kottayam at 7.28 am. The time taken to reach Kottayam from Thiruvananthapuram is two and a half hours. The train left Kottayam at 7.30 am and reached Ernakulam North Railway Station at 8.30 am. Two loco pilots boarded the train from here. The Express reached Thrissur at 9.37 am. After stopping the train for a minute, it left for Shornur. Took four hours and 20 minutes to reach Thrissur from Thiruvananthapuram.

The southern railway had directed loco pilots to reach Kannur by 12.10 after eight stops. It takes seven hours in total. Senior officers of various sections of Thiruvananthapuram Division are also participating in the trial run.

The train will leave for Thiruvananthapuram after reaching Kannur around 12.20 pm. It will take seven hours to reach Thiruvananthapuram. Since there is no stop at Shornur, the top officials of Palakkad division will board from Thrissur.