Rs 30 ticket in high-speed train; Railways' new gift to Kerala

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Vande Bharat trains were an overnight success in Kerala. Minding the high occupancy rate of the elite trains, railways have now given a green signal for the introduction of Namo Bharat trains in Kerala. These are high-speed trains that operate between major cities across Kerala. In the first phase, the service will be on Thiruvananthapuram - Ernakulam, Kollam - Guruvayur, Kollam - Tirunelveli and Guruvayur - Madurai routes.

Later, it will be extended to places like Mangalore, Kozhikode, Coimbatore, and Kanyakumari. No official decision has been made regarding the start of services in Kerala. The minimum fare for this train will be Rs.30.

At present, Namo Bharat is servicing only in Delhi and Ahmedabad. The trains will soon be introduced in Bengaluru and later in Kerala. Kollam will be the hub of Namo Bharat Rapid Rail Transit. The train will run at a speed of up to 130 km per hour.

Sliding doors, wide windows, fully AC coaches, a digital display, and CCTV cameras will be available in all coaches. Considering the excellent profits Vande Bharat minted from Kerala, there are proposals to increase the number of Vande Bharat coaches to 20 from eight in the state.

If the project sees a good financial return, a new system called the Kerala Namo Bharat, or Regional Rapid Transit System, will be built to connect the serviced centres and run parallel to the current route.

Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw held a meeting with CM Pinarayi Vijayan last month regarding the project. Kerala demanded the central government bring services to connect major cities, while the central government is more interested in the new train services connecting just tourism centres in the state.