Semi-high-speed trains between Kerala capital and Mangaluru in due course

Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said Rs 2,033 crore was allotted for railway development in Kerala during this year

The first Vande Bharat train in Kerala flagged off by Prime Minister Narendra Modi from Thiruvananthapuram to Kasargod on Tuesday is likely to be extended up to Mangaluru in due course.

In his address after the flag-off, the Prime Minister said that once the railway track expansion in the Thiruvananthapuram-Shoranur section is over, semi-high-speed trains could be operated between Thiruvananthapuram and Mangaluru.

Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said on the occasion that once the signalling systems are improved and the curves on the railway tracks in Kerala are straightened, the Vande Bharat train would be able to travel between Thiruvananthapuram and Mangaluru in six hours.

Also Read | PM Modi flags off Kerala's first Vande Bharat Express train

Already there is a demand from various quarters, including the Congress, to extend the Vande Bharat service in Kerala up to Mangaluru. At present, it would take around eight hours for the train to travel between Thiruvananthapuram and Kasargod.

The railway minister said that at present, trains could run only at a maximum speed of 90 kilometres per hour (kmph) in Kerala owing to the large number of curves on the track. Already Rs 381 crore has been allowed for improving the signalling system and straightening the curves as far as possible. In the next 18 to 24 months, trains would be able to run at a speed of 110 kmph. Forty-eight months from now, the speed could be increased up to 130 to 160 kmph.

"Once this is complete, Vande Bharat train would be able to travel between Thiruvananthapuram and Mangalauru in six hours and between Thiruvananthapuram and Kasargod in five hours and 30 minutes," the railway minister said.

He said that an amount of Rs 2,033 crore was allotted for railway development in Kerala during this year. It includes the development of 34 stations with world class amenities

The Prime Minister launched rail development projects worth over Rs 1,900 crore for Kerala on Tuesday. The development of Thiruvananthapuram, Varkala Sivagiri and Kozhikode railway stations, comprehensive development of Thiruvananthapuram area, increasing the sectional speed of Thiruvananthapuram-Shoranur section and dedicated 179 kilometre electrified section between Palakkad-Palani-Dindigul has been completed at a cost of Rs 242 crore.

He also laid the foundation stone for the Digital Science Park at Technocity in Thiruvananthapuram and commissioned the Kochi Water Metro service.