CHENNAI: The Sabarimala special Vande Bharat train allotted to Kerala by the Southern Railway has started its journey from Chennai. The train began its journey at 4.30 am today. The train will reach Kottayam at 4.15 pm today.

The Vande Bharat special train, which will run on the Chennai-Kottayam-Chennai route, will operate on four days a week. From December 15 to 24, the train will operate on Friday, Sunday, Saturday and Monday. On Saturdays and Mondays, the train will leave Kottayam at 4.40 am and will reach Chennai at 5.15 pm.

The special train will have stops in Ernakulam North, Thrissur and Palakkad in Kerala. The train will also have stops in Pothanur, Erode, Salem, Jolarpettai and Katpadi.

The Railways decided to run the Vande Bharat special train as the number of Sabarimala pilgrims from Tamil Nadu has increased. Apart from this, another Vande Bharat special train will run on the Chennai-Coimbatore-Chennai route during the Christmas holidays.