The Ernakulam-KSR Bengaluru Vande Bharat Express will get a major capacity boost from Monday, August 17, with the train being permanently upgraded from eight to 16 coaches, giving passengers more seats on the popular Kerala-Karnataka route, reported The Indian Express.
The semi-high-speed service, which was launched in November 2025, will now comprise two Executive Chair Car coaches and 14 Chair Car coaches. The augmentation comes around nine months after the train was introduced.
The railway network in Kerala is primarily under the administrative jurisdiction of the Southern Railway (SR) zone, while the Ernakulam-KSR Bengaluru Vande Bharat service is operated and maintained by the South Western Railway (SWR) zone.
Ernakulam-Bengaluru Vande Bharat gets 8 additional coaches
The train initially operated with eight coaches. From August 17, seven Chair Car coaches and one Executive Chair Car coach will be added to each direction of the service.
“Train No. 26651/26652 KSR Bengaluru-Ernakulam Jn-KSR Bengaluru Vande Bharat Express will be permanently augmented with One Executive Chair Car & Seven Chair Car Coaches Ex. KSR Bengaluru & Ex. Ernakulam Jn with effect from 17th August, 2026. The revised composition for the above Vande Bharat trains after the augmentation will be: 2- Executive Chair Car Coaches & 14- Chair Car Coaches = Total 16 Coaches,” SN Narain, Chief Public Relations Officer (CPRO), Southern Railway said in a statement.
The capacity increase will take the total number of coaches to 16, comprising two Executive Chair Car and 14 Chair Car coaches.
As of August 15, three pairs of Vande Bharat Express trains are operating in Kerala. These include the Mangaluru Central-Thiruvananthapuram Central-Mangaluru Central Vande Bharat Express (20631/20632) and the Kasaragod-Thiruvananthapuram Central-Kasaragod Vande Bharat Express (20633/20634).
Ernakulam-KSR Bengaluru Vande Bharat route, distance and timings
The Ernakulam-KSR Bengaluru Vande Bharat Express covers around 638 km in 8 hours and 40 minutes. It is currently the fastest rail service on the route, with other trains taking more than 11 hours for the journey.
The service operates six days a week, except Wednesday, connecting Kerala’s commercial hub with Bengaluru.
Train No. 26651 departs from KSR Bengaluru at 5:10 am and reaches Ernakulam at 1:50 pm. On the return journey, Train No. 26652 leaves Ernakulam at 2:20 pm and arrives at KSR Bengaluru at 11 pm.
The service operates via the Coimbatore-Palakkad route and has seven scheduled stops between the two cities.
These stations are Krishnarajapuram, Salem, Erode, Tiruppur, Coimbatore, Palakkad and Thrissur.
The permanent augmentation is expected to increase seating availability on the Ernakulam-Bengaluru corridor, particularly as the service connects major urban, business and tourism centres across Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka.