New Vande Bharat train from Ernakulam to Bengaluru soon: Vice President C P Radhakrishnan

Chennai: Vice President C P Radhakrishnan on Tuesday said a new Vande Bharat train will connect Ernakulam with Bengaluru soon. However, there is no official word from the Indian Railways on it.

The train, which is expected to be launched mid-November, is likely to cover 608 kms in about nine hours against the 10-12 hours taken by express trains currently running on the busy route. The semi-high speed trains are designed to run at a maximum speed of 160 km per hour.

Radhakrishnan, who was on his first official visit to his home state of Tamil Nadu, said at an event organised by the Coimbatore Citizen Forum that the new service would resume soon. Already, the Southern Railway operated special Vande Bharat trains on the route in 2024 to clear extra rush of passengers but was dithering on a regular service.

"The Railways has consented to two of my requests. Soon the Ernakulam to Bengaluru Vande Bharat train will halt at the four textile centres of Coimbatore, Tirupur, Erode and Salem for the benefit of the industry," Radhakrishnan said. He added that the Railways will also operate a daily train from Ranchi to Coimbatore for the benefit of migrant labourers who work in the textile hubs of Coimbatore and Tiruppur.

This is the first official announcement about the much-awaited Ernakulam-Bengaluru Vande Bharat train service. Kerala BJP chief Rajeev Chandrasekhar had earlier this month said Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw had told a delegation led by him that the services will be launched soon.

The new train will help passengers who travel between the two cities during the day and also benefit those travelling between Bengaluru and several towns of Tamil Nadu. The new train is likely to have six stoppages – Thrissur and Palakkad in Kerala and the remaining four in Tamil Nadu such as Coimbatore, Tiruppur, Erode, and Salem.