THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Southern Railway has announced the final schedule of the Vande Bharat Express train from Thiruvananthapuram to Kasaragod, with a running time of 8 hours and 5 minutes. This will be only around 54 minutes less than the running time of Rajadhani Express — currently the fastest service in the state — from Thiruvananthapuram to Kasaragod.
As per the final schedule, Vande Bharat will have nine stops, with Shoranur Junction added to the list. However, the Tirur stop, which was announced earlier, has been nixed. The train will have halts at Kollam, Kottayam, Ernakulam Town, Thrissur, Shoranur, Kozhikode, Kannur and Kasaragod. The demand to introduce a stop at Chengannur has been rejected by the Southern Railway. The train will have a two-minute stop at stations, except in Ernakulam Town where it will halt for three minutes. The service will be available for six days, except Thursdays.
Earlier, the Railways was planning to keep Vande Bharat’s trip duration under 7 hours, and this could be achieved only by limiting the number of stops. The curves and inclines pose a major challenge for the train to operate at its maximum speed in Kerala. PM Narendra Modi will flag off the service from Thiruvananthapuram Central Station at 10.30 am on Tuesday.
Inaugural service to have 14 stops
Governor Arif Mohammed Khan, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw will attend the function.
To provide an opportunity for children, rail enthusiasts and the public to get a glimpse of the prestigious train service, the inaugural trip of Thiruvananthapuram Central - Kasaragod Vande Bharat Express will have stoppages at 14 railway stations en route. The regular services will begin on Wednesday from Kasaragod station at 2.30 pm.
It will reach Thiruvananthapuram by 10.35 pm. The service from Thiruvananthapuram will start at 5.20 am on Friday and will reach Kasaragod by 1.25 pm.