Ernakulam-Bengaluru eight-car Vande Bharat inaugural run on November 8

Vande Bharat

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Varanasi on November 8 to flag off four Vande Bharat Express services.

This includes the inaugural special Train no. 06652 Ernakulam Junction – KSR Bengaluru Vande Bharat Express, which will be flagged off via video conferencing. The inaugural eight-car train will depart Ernakulam Junction at 8am on November 8 and reach KSR Bengaluru at 5:50pm the same day.

The railways yet to announce when the commercial run will begin. According to a statement, Ernakulam-Bengaluru Vande Bharat Express will reduce travel time by over two hours, completing the journey in 8 hours 40 minutes. The train will connect major IT and commercial hubs, offering professionals, students, and tourists a faster and more comfortable travel option. The route is expected to boost economic activity and tourism between Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Karnataka, supporting regional growth and collaboration, it said.

Schedule and frequency

The train is likely to operate six days a week, except on Wednesdays, and is expected to make commercial stoppages at Krishnarajapuram, Salem, Erode, Tiruppur, Coimbatore, Palakkad, and Thrissur. Train No. 26651, KSR Bengaluru - Ernakulam Vande Bharat Express, is expected to depart KSR Bengaluru at 5:10am and reach Ernakulam at 1:50pm, while the return service, Train no. 26652, will depart Ernakulam at 2:20pm and arrive at KSR Bengaluru at 11pm.

PM event

The main event will be held at Banaras Railway Station, from where the Prime Minister will flag off four Vande Bharat services, including Ernakulam - KSR Bengaluru Vande Bharat Express, Banaras - Khajuraho Vande Bharat Express, Lucknow Junction - Saharanpur Vande Bharat Express, and Firozpur Cantt - Delhi Vande Bharat Express.

Significance of the service

According to Southern Railway, the newly introduced Vande Bharat Express between Ernakulam and KSR Bengaluru will be the third Vande Bharat service for Kerala and the first inter-state Vande Bharat service linking Kerala with Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. With this addition, 12 pairs of Vande Bharat trains will operate in the Southern Railway jurisdiction. “KSR Bengaluru – Ernakulam Vande Bharat Express will provide seamless connectivity between Ernakulam, the commercial capital of Kerala, and the cosmopolitan city of Bengaluru. The train traverses major cities in Kerala and Tamil Nadu, including Thrissur, Palakkad, Coimbatore, Tiruppur, Erode, and Salem, before reaching Krishnarajapuram and KSR Bengaluru. The service is expected to greatly benefit IT professionals, businessmen, students, and other passengers”, a statement from Southern railway said.