THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Kerala's promised second Vande Bharat train will end up landing in Tamil Nadu as the situation progresses. The earlier allowed Vande Bharat in Thiruvananthapuram is expected to be shifted to the Nagercoil-Thirunelveli route to Madurai. If not for any intrusion from the Kerala government, the trains will holler horns to steer through Tamil Nadu rails.

As of now, there are three Vande Bharat trains servicing Tamil Nadu. One from Chennai to Mysore and Coimbatore. The third allowed train will work from Chennai to Tirupati. The railway is also thinking about allowing a fourth to Tamil Nadu which will see the train servicing between Chennai to Andhra’s Vijayawada.

The lone Vande Bharat which was allotted for Kerala is shuttling between Kasargod and Thiruvananthapuram. Melapalayam in Kanyakumari district also comes under the Thiruvananthapuram division. The railway is pondering moves to run trains between these areas, which indeed come inside the Thiruvananthapuram division but discreetly cover only places in Tamil Nadu. The southern railway also has given tacit approval for this route map for the next vande bharat.

Meanwhile, Kerala has beseeched the central government to approve Vande Bharat between Ernakulam and Bengaluru and from Thiruvananthapuram to Salem. The new garage sheds for Vande Bharat are undergoing work in Manguluru, Kochi, and Nagercoil.

Kerala was ranked first for most passenger occupancy for Vande Bharat trains in the country. The average occupancy is 183 for travel from Thiruvananthapuram to Kasargod.