A daily high-speed train service from Thiruvananthapuram to Kasaragod was the dream of Malayalis. 'Vande Bharat', which will be flagged off by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Thiruvananthapuram on this 25th, is making that dream come true. There is no doubt that 'Vande Bharat', which has become the pride of Indian Railways in a short span of time, will be a new travel experience for Keralites as well. Vande Bharat running from Thiruvananthapuram to Kannur was envisaged earlier, but considering the appeals, it has been decided to extend it to Kasaragod. This decision of the Railway Minister is sure to bring joy to Kasaragod, which has been facing neglect in all aspects.

The agenda is to run one Vande Bharat from both sides initially and gradually add more services later. Once the tracks are strengthened and the signal system is improved, the speed of the trains will also increase, but we will have to wait for several months. Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said the other day that Vande Bharat will be able to run at a speed of 160 km with the completion of the three-phase renovation work. The weakness of the rails and the sharp bends hinders fast travel. A comprehensive plan has been initiated to overcome these obstacles. Straightening sharp curves, which should be carried out in stages, requires a lot of time and money.

The Union Minister's announcement that the Railways is preparing to implement some very important development projects along with the start of 'Vandebharat' is something Kerala has been wanting to hear for a long time. A project of 156 crores has been designed to develop Kochuveli and Nemam satellite railway stations to the north and south of Thiruvananthapuram Central Station, which is overcrowded due to a shortage of space. A project worth Rs 495 crore is being implemented for the renovation of the Central Station alone. With the development of Kochuveli and Nemom, more services can be started from Thiruvananthapuram. The lack of facilities at the central station is a hindrance to new services. The announcement to spend Rs 170 crore to develop Varkala station considering the importance of the pilgrimage center of Sivagiri is also welcomed. Actions in accordance with the announcements are now to be had as there has been a flurry of announcements in previous years as well.

Only if the Kayamkulam - Ernakulam double track construction is completed as soon as possible, better train traffic than the one at present is possible. It should be made possible by allocating more funds and expediting the construction work. Many of the new routes are only on paper, Angamaly - Erumeli Sabaripatha being the most important of them.

Even though Kerala also raised its voice for Vande Bharat, ever since it started running in other places, it was not expected that it would reach here so fast. There has also been a strong demand for more stops for Vande Bharat, and such demands cannot be said to be unfair. It can be checked whether one or two more stops can be allowed considering the technical aspects.