Will there be a change in Vande Bharat after August 26? Malayalees on high expectations

BENGALURU: The demand to extend the Ernakulam-Bengaluru Vande Bharat Express, which started service on August 1, is getting stronger. The passengers have come forward with the demand to extend the service to solve the travel issues faced during the Onam season. The service is presently till August 26. A heavy rush is witnessed in Vande Bharat on Saturdays and Sundays.

The passengers had earlier demanded that the Vande Bharat Express on this route should be made a regular service. However, no action has been taken in this regard. A stop at K R Puram was allowed for the train leaving Cantonment. This benefited people in towns including Whitefield. Meantime, there is widespread complaint from one side that Vande Bharat caters only to the elite of the society.

The passengers are asking whether the railways can't include at least two general compartments for the common people. Some opined that Vande Bharat should also implement a system of taking tickets directly at the railway station, not just for those who reserve.

Timings
06001 Ernakulam- Bengaluru (Wednesday, Friday and Sunday)
Ernakulam (12.50 pm), Thrissur (1.53 pm), Palakkad (3.15 pm), Pothanur (4.13 pm), Tirupur (4.58 pm), Erode (5.45 pm), Salem (6.33 pm), Bengaluru Cantonment (10 pm).

06002 Bengaluru-Ernakulam (Thursdays, Saturdays and Mondays)
Bengaluru Cantonment (5.30 am), Salem (8.58 am), Erode (9.50 am), Tirupur (10.33 am), Pothanur (11.15 am), Palakkad (12.08 pm), Thrissur (1.18 pm), Ernakulam (2.20 pm).