Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday flagged off Kerala’s first Vande Bharat Express from the Thiruvananthapuram Central railway station.
The semi-high-speed, fully-air conditioned train service, covering 11 districts, links capital Thiruvananthapuram in the south to Kasaragod in the north.
Union Minister for Railways Ashwini Vaishnaw handed over a green flag to the Prime Minister who waved it and saw the train off on its inaugural trip at 11.10 a.m.
‘’Flagged off Kerala’s first Vande Bharat Express, which will enhance connectivity from Thiruvananthapuram to Kasaragod,’‘ Mr. Modi tweeted afterwards.
Governor Arif Mohammed Khan, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, and Shashi Tharoor MP were present on the occasion.
Mr. Modi arrived in Thiruvananthapuram from Kochi shortly after 10 a.m. From the Technical Area of the Thiruvananthapuram airport, he had gone straight to the railway station at Thampanoor, which was placed under tight security in anticipation of his visit.
On his arrival at the station, he entered the waiting train and interacted with school students who were given the opportunity to ride on the inaugural trip. Mr. Modi was seen speaking to the smiling children, shaking hands with them and checking out their art works of the Vande Bharat Express and of himself.
For the inaugural trip, souvenir passes for travel had been issued to groups, including rail enthusiasts, school students and journalists.
The new train, which has 16 coaches, has been introduced as Train No. 20633/20634 Kasaragod– Thiruvananthapuram Central–Kasaragod Vande Bharat Express.
The train will begin regular operation on the Kasaragod-Thiruvananthapuram route on Wednesday and on the Thiruvananthapuram-Kasaragod corridor on Friday. It will run on all days except Thursdays. Bookings had opened on Sunday morning.
Reduced travel time
Reaching the destination in about eight hours and five minutes from both ends, the service will reduce the average travel time between Thiruvananthapuram and Kasaragod by almost three hours, the Southern Railway said in a statement. ‘‘The service interlinks almost the entire stretch of Kerala from south to north offering faster connectivity to en route destinations such as Kollam, Kottayam, Ernakulam Town, Thrissur, Shoranur Junction, Kozhikode and Kannur,’‘ the railways said.
On Wednesday, train No. 20633 will leave Kasaragod at 2.30 p.m. and reach Thiruvananthapuram Central at 10.35 p.m. the same day. In the return direction, Train No. 20634 will leave Thiruvananthapuram Central at 5.20 a.m. on Friday and reach Kasaragod at 1.25 p.m. the same day.
