Two new Vande Bharat sleeper trains for Kerala? Railways mulls new move ahead of inauguration

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Kerala will likely be a beneficiary of the new Vande Bharat sleeper train of the Railways. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the country's first Vande Bharat sleeper train service on the 17th. This service will run from Guwahati in Assam to Kolkata in Bengal. After this, it is reported that the Vande Bharat sleeper service will be allowed from Kerala to Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. The Railways announced that it will launch 12 Vande Bharat sleeper trains this year.

It is reported that the train to be assigned for Kerala will operate on the Thiruvananthapuram-Chennai and Thiruvananthapuram-Bengaluru routes. The 16-coach Vande Bharat sleeper is equipped with state-of-the-art travel facilities.

The fare for the Vande Bharat from Thiruvananthapuram to Ernakulam is Rs 775 for a chair car. It could be more than double this price for a sleeper. It could increase by more than Rs 20 per kilometre.