India’s 16th Vande Bharat Express will begin its commercial service from Kerala’s Kasaragod railway station today. This will be the first and third new age train for Kerala and the Southern Railway (SR) zone respectively. The seats in this new semi-high speed train have been fully booked for this week.
The regular service of this blue and white colour train will commence on April 28, 2023 (Friday) from Thiruvananthapuram Central railway station. The train was flagged off by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday.
The children, rail enthusiasts and the general public have arrived at the railway stations to get a glimpse of the prestigious train service.
Distance and Travel time:-
The Thiruvananthapuram Central-Kasaragod Vande Bharat Express will cover a distance of 588 km in 08:05 hrs. Thus, it is reducing the average travel time by three hours.
Frequency of Kerala’s first Vande Bharat Express:-
This new blue and white colour train will operate on all days except Thursday.
Stoppages of Kerala first Vande Bharat Express:-
During its journey between Thiruvananthapuram Central-Kasaragod and vice versa, this new train will halt at seven stations. These are – Kollam, Kottayam, Ernakulam Town, Thrissur, Shoranur Junction, Kozhikode, and Kannur.
Timings of 20633/20634 TVC-KGW-TVC Vande Bharat Express:-
From Thiruvananthapuram Central-Kasaragod:
The Vande Bharat Express train will depart from Thiruvananthapuram Central at 05:20 hrs.
- Arrival at Kollam – 06:07 hrs
- Departure from Kollam – 06:09 hrs
- Arrival at Kottayam – 07:25 hrs
- Departure from Kottayam – 07:27 hrs
- Arrival at Ernakulam Town – 08:17 hrs
- Departure from Ernakulam Town – 08:20 hrs
- Arrival at Thrissur – 09:22 hrs
- Departure from Thrissur – 09:24 hrs
- Arrival at Shoranur Junction – 10:02 hrs
- Departure from Shoranur Junction – 10:04 hrs
- Arrival at Kozhikode – 11:03 hrs
- Departure from Kozhikode – 11:05 hrs
- Arrival at Kannur – 12:03 hrs
- Departure from Kannur – 12:05 hrs
- Arrival at Kasaragod – 13:25 hrs
From Kasaragod to Thiruvananthapuram Central:
After a brief halt for one hour, the train will again depart for Thiruvananthapuram Central at 14:30 hrs.
- Arrival at Kannur – 15:28 hrs
- Departure from Kannur – 15:30 hrs
- Arrival at Kozhikode – 16:28 hrs
- Departure from Kozhikode – 16:30 hrs
- Arrival at Shoranur Junction – 17:28 hrs
- Departure from Shoranur Junction – 17:30 hrs
- Arrival at Thrissur – 18:03 hrs
- Departure from Thrissur – 18:05 hrs
- Arrival at Ernakulam Town – 19:05 hrs
- Departure from Ernakulam Town – 19:08 hrs
- Arrival at Kottayam – 20:00 hrs
- Departure from Kottayam – 20:02 hrs
- Arrival at Kollam – 21:18 hrs
- Departure from Kollam – 21:20 hrs
- Arrival at Thiruvananthapuram Central – 22:35 hrs
Significance of Thiruvananthapuram Central-Kasaragod Vande Bharat Express:-
Connectivity:
The ultra modern train will ensure faster connectivity from Kannur, Kozhikode, Thrissur, Ernakulam, and Alappuzha districts to the state capital. The train will prove to be beneficial for the people of Thiruvananthapuram and its neighbouring districts.
Tourism:
It will also boost religious tourism to Sree Padmanabha Swamy temple, Chottanikkara Bhagavathy temple, etc. It will also enhance tourism to scenic and historical sites like Kovalam Beach, Poovar Island, Ernakulam’s backwaters, Ashtamudi Lake, Bekal Fort, etc.