Indian Railways has started the trial run of Kerala‘s first Vande Bharat Express train from today onwards. The new train set reached the southern state on April 14, 2023 (Friday). This new age train is expected to be flagged off by Prime Minister Narendra Modi later this month.
The trial run will be conducted for the next few days in presence of senior railway officials. The train departed from Thiruvananthapuram railway station at 05:10 hrs. The final schedule of the train will be announced after the completion of the trial run.
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On Friday, in a tweet, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw welcomed the arrival of the country’s first indigenous semi-high speed train in Kerala. In a tweet, Vaishnaw said, “Happy Vishu! VandeBharat…soon… in God’s own country.”
While, in another tweet, the Ministry of Railways said, “Vande Bharat train set from ICF, Chennai has reached Kerala. Stay Tuned!”
Vande Bharat route in Kerala:-
This ultra modern train has been proposed to run from Thiruvananthapuram to Kannur. The new Vande Bharat is expected to operate six days a week. The train is likely to stop at Kollam, Kottayam, Ernakulam Town, Thrissur, Tirur, and Kozhikode.
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This is the third blue and white colour train for the Southern Railway (SR) zone and fifth for south India. The other semi-high speed trains running in the region are – Mysuru – Puratchi Thalaivar Dr. MGR Chennai Central, Secunderabad – Visakhapatnam, Secunderabad-Tirupati, and Chennai-Coimbatore Vande Bharat Express.
This new Vande Bharat train has 16 coaches and can touch a speed of 100 kmph in 52 seconds. The train is fully air-conditioned with automatic doors and LED lighting. The train has driver cabins at both ends. The ultra-modern Semi High-Speed Train has advanced safety features including an indigenously developed Train Collision Avoidance System – KAVACH.
