COIMBATORE: The inaugural Vande Bharat Express train between Coimbatore and Bengaluru was flagged off from the Coimbatore Railway Station on Saturday. Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagged off the train virtually from Ayodhya, along with five other Vande Bharat trains on different routes at 12.12 pm.
Over 400 passengers, including students from an orphanage, media personnel, railway staff and railway enthusiasts boarded the train at Coimbatore and deboarded at Tirupur, Erode and Salem.The official run of the Vande Bharat Express between Coimbatore and Bengaluru will begin on January 1, when the public will be allowed to travel. The trains (20642/20641) will be operational six days a week, except on Thursdays.
The train will depart Coimbatore at 5 am, with stops at Tirupur (5.36 am), Erode (6.17 am), Salem (7.12 am), Dharmapuri (8.18 am) and Hosur (9.48 am), before reaching Bengaluru Cantonment at 11.30 am. From Bengaluru, the train will depart at 1.40 pm and reach Coimbatore at 8 pm.
Meanwhile, people urged the Indian Railways to consider rescheduling the departure at Coimbatore from 5 am to 6 am. “It is difficult for people to catch the Vande Bharat train from Coimbatore Railway Station at 5 am as there are no buses and autorickshaws and taxi drivers may demand more fare,” said J Sathish, former DRUCC member and director of Kongu Global Forum.Tickets are priced at Rs 940 for chair car and Rs 1,860 for executive class.