New Vande Bharat between Bengaluru and Ernakulam from mid-Nov: Check timings and route

Vande Bharat

A new Vande Bharat Express connecting Bengaluru and Ernakulam is slated to begin operations by mid-November, the railway ministry has confirmed. The announcement, reported by TOI, comes over a year after a temporary tri-weekly service on the route was withdrawn.

Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has announced that a new Vande Bharat train between Ernakulam and Bengaluru, routed via Palakkad, is likely to commence service by mid-November. The minister confirmed the planned launch during a meeting with BJP leaders from Kerala.

The semi-high-speed train will serve key cities along the route, with scheduled stops at Thrissur, Palakkad, Coimbatore, Tiruppur, Erode, Salem and Krishnarajapuram. The journey between the two endpoints is projected to take approximately nine hours.

The news has been welcomed by commuters and community groups in Bengaluru, where a consistent demand for improved connectivity to Kerala has persisted. This demand intensified recently after the KSR Bengaluru-Ernakulam Superfast Express was downgraded to a slower express category in September.

Reji Kumar, general secretary of the Kerala Samajam Bengaluru, was quoted by TOI as saying, "We truly appreciate the railway for granting this much-needed service as this has been a long-pending demand. We, as an organisation, have always asked for better train services towards Kerala."

While appreciative, some passengers have called for the service to be tailored to their needs. A city-based businessman from Kerala, Somaraj, suggested that the departure time from Bengaluru should be set after 5 pm for passenger convenience. He added that despite being a seater train, the Vande Bharat is comfortable and well-suited for the journey.

However, the announcement has not been without criticism. John Brittas, a Rajya Sabha MP from Kerala, publicly questioned the minister about the delay in reinstating the service. In a post on X (formerly Twitter), he demanded answers and a more significant service expansion.

"Why was there an inordinate delay in reintroducing Vande Bharat between Ernakulam and Bengaluru? What was the reason to stop the service that was there?" Brittas questioned.

He further pressed the minister on the status of a proposed Vande Bharat sleeper train between Thiruvananthapuram and Bengaluru, asking, "Why is the minister still sitting on this proposal even while creating a perception that he has done something marvellous for Kerala?"