Vande Bharat train, which Kerala has been waiting for, has finally reached the state. Vande Bharat, praised by Prime Minister Narendra Modi as a train with comfort and convenience like an aeroplane, will run on the Thiruvananthapuram - Kannur route.
The state had demanded a Vande Bharat train from Mangalore to Kanyakumari. However, the Centre decided to run Vande Bharat in the busiest Thiruvananthapuram- Kannur route. The Prime Minister will flag off the third Vande Bharat of the Southern Railway and the 15th overall in the country in Thiruvananthapuram on the 25th. The state did not have to spend even a penny for the arrival of the Vande Bharat high-speed train with state-of-the-art facilities.
Vande Bharat train will cover a distance of 501 km from Thiruvananthapuram to Kannur in less than seven and a half hours. The timetable of the train will be prepared soon. The train, which begins its journey before 5 am from Thiruvananthapuram will arrive back in the state capital by night. The train will have stops at Kollam, Kottayam, Ernakulam Town, Thrissur, Tirur and Kozhikode. Kerala Vande Bharat is a 16-coach, fully air-conditioned train. These are locally manufactured under the Make in India scheme. Vande Bharat offers luxury travel at a low cost. Vande Bharat coaches will be kept clean and tidy. One can give 100 marks for its cleanliness. Reclining seats make for a comfortable ride. Snacks and tea will be there for passengers during the journey. The windows are conveniently arranged so that passengers can enjoy the outside views. The seats in the executive coach can be rotated up to 180 degrees. It is also worth mentioning that 'Kavach' technology has been installed in these trains for extra security so that automatic breaks could be applied in case any train is coming on the same track. All coaches are under CCTV surveillance. Out of 16 coaches, two are executive coaches.
The state government had continuously demanded that Vande Bharat should be granted to Kerala. Finance Minister KN Balagopal had met the Union Finance Minister and requested her to announce Vande Bharat for Kerala in the Union Budget for point-to-point connectivity within the state and to neighbouring states. The Chief Minister recently wrote to the Centre demanding a Vande Bharat train for the state.
Comfortable and safe journey
75 services within August
The Centre plans to run 75 trains by August. 44 trains are under construction at coach factories in Chennai, Kapurthala and Raebareli. The construction cost of a train is 130 crores. Manufacturing of Vande Bharat Sleeper Coaches has started at Integral Coach Factory in Chennai. The aim is to start the Vande Bharat sleeper service in 2024. So far, the Railways has awarded contracts for the construction of 102 Vande Bharat trains.