Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw: Kerala's first Vande Bharat Express extended till Kasaragod

After demand from Congress UDF to extend the Kerala's first Vande Bharat Express train till Kasaragod, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Tuesday confirmed that the Thiruvananthapuram-Kannur Vande Bharat Express, which happens to be the first semi-high speed train in God's Own Country, will cover Kasaragod as well.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will flag off the train on April 25, 2023.

He said the decision was taken following a request from Union Minister of State V Muraleedharan. Initially, the train was planned to run between Thiruvananthapuram and Kannur.

The second phase, which will involve straightening the turns and other necessary adjustments, will take two to three-and-a-half years to be completed, and after this, the speed potential of the track will be increased to 130 kmph, he added.

Thiruvananthapuram is an important urban area which has a lot of small sub-cities around it.

There were discussions with the state government over improving the connectivity of the region, Vaishnaw said.

Efforts are also being made to decongest the Thiruvananthapuram station.

The minister also said that while as of now only one Vande Bharat Express has been allotted to Kerala, many more will be introduced in the future.

Earlier, Congress-led UDF opposition in Kerala urged the Union Railway Ministry to extend the route of the proposed Vande Bharat Express in the state upto Mangalore station in Karnataka so that people of Kerala's northernmost district of Kasaragod can also benefit from it.