THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: After the long wait of Keralites, the Vande Bharat semi-high-speed train service is finally coming to Kerala. The first Vande Bharat train in the state is likely to conduct services from Thiruvananthapuram to Kannur and back. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will flag off the Vande Bharat train at Thiruvananthapuram on the 25th. Railways has started preparations for this.
Three rakes manufactured at ICF in Perambur, Tamil Nadu will reach Thiruvananthapuram today. The authorities have given directions to complete the safety check and trial run up to Shoranur next week. The Vande Bharat train with eight coaches will conduct one service per day. The time of Jan Shatabdi in the morning is being considered for this purpose. There will be five or six stops till Kannur.
The service will be via Kottayam as there is a double track. Electrification of two pit lines has been completed for this purpose at Kochuveli. Like the Chennai - Coimbatore route, a Vande Bharat train with eight coaches will be running in the state. While the maximum speed of the Vande Bharat train is 180 kmph, work is underway in the state to strengthen the tracks to run the service at a minimum speed of 110 kmph.
The routes of Maveli Express towards Thiruvananthapuram and Jan Shatabdi towards Kannur have been restricted to make way for Vande Bharat. While Maveli will operate till Kochuveli, Jan Shatabdi will run till Shoranur.
The Vande Bharat train for Kerala is likely to be announced during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Kerala. Prime Minister will reach Kochi on April 24 to participate in BJP's 'Yuvam' rally. Four new Vande Bharat trains are to be launched in the country soon. Two of these are in election-bound Karnataka. The trains are being manufactured at the Integrated Coach Factory in Perambur, Chennai.
Vande Bharat
200 sharp bends
High-speed trains in Kerala are hampered by sharp bends in railway tracks. There are 620 bends in the 560 km stretch from Kasaragod to Thiruvananthapuram. Of these, the feasibility study to straighten two hundred sharp bends have not reached anywhere. The current speed on the tracks is 60 to 80 kmph.
Ticket prices will go up
From Thiruvananthapuram to Kannur, the ticket charge may be around 1345 rupees for a chair car and 2238 rupees for an executive coach. This is inclusive of the Rs 320 catering charge. The fare may be Rs 605 and Rs 1144 to Ernakulam and Rs 1130 and Rs 2138 to Kozhikode.