The second Vande Bharat train allotted to Kerala has started its service. There will be service from Thiruvananthapuram to Kasaragod and back, six days a week. Vande Bharat will be available to passengers in all but two districts of the state as it has services via Kottayam and Alappuzha. The fact that there is still a long wait for a seat on Vande Bharat shows how high the acceptance rate of this train is. Thiruvananthapuram - Kasaragod railway route is 600 kilometres long. Many trains are plying on this route daily and this is one hundred to one hundred and twenty percent of the total capacity.

Even when the second Vande Bharat service starts, those who see only politics for any issue are lining up with criticism and ridicule. For people who like to travel fast, it is a great convenience that a second option for best service is also available. With the deplorable state of roads in the state, everyone prefers trains to travel. If there are trains to quickly reach Ernakulam, Kozhikode, Kannur and Kasaragod from Thiruvananthapuram, the congestion and accidents on the roads will be greatly reduced.

The services connecting the major hubs of the state are a boon for long-distance travellers. The intended travel facilities can be said to be complete only if the short-distance services needed by the passengers to go to their places are also widespread. Many of the passenger services that were suspended during the Covid pandemic have not been restored to their previous state yet. It has been alleged that the railways are now following a policy of completely ignoring the rural passengers, who used to depend only on local trains. The trains connecting the villages are also the connecting link of the lives of each place. Every passing carriage rushing forward may be touching their daily lives. Passenger trains that pass by three or four times a day and noiseless stations are inextricably linked with rural life.

While Vande Bharat, Shatabdi and many other high-speed services are running like clockwork, most of the developments are concentrated in towns and cities. In a small state like Kerala, railway development should be able to benefit the majority of people. If the railway development projects devised decades ago can be put into practice, it will benefit the people of the areas where railway facilities are less.

The reasons why even the new rail projects which gave the impression 'Oh! It has started finally', but did not move forward, has to be found. The good news heard about Sabari Patha has been forgotten again. Guruvayoor - Tirunavaya route, Nilambur - Mysore route etc. are also facing the same crisis. The bad fate of the proposed coaching terminal project in Nemam was thought to be over, but it is still stalling. It would be a great achievement if the long-drawn-out Thiruvananthapuram -Kanyakumari railway line doubling could be completed.