Kerala to conduct trial run for its first Vande Bharata Express today

The Vande Bharata Express will operate between Thiruvananthapuram and Kannur railway stations in the state

Kerala will conduct a trial run of its first Vande Bharata Express train today. The state becomes the fifth in South India to get the premium Vande Bharata Train, after Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, and Karnataka.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will flag off the Vande Bharata Express Train on April 25. The government has sanctioned two Vande Bharata Express trains for Kerala. The semi high-speed train will run between Thiruvananthapuram and Kannur.

The train is expected to cover the 501 km distance between both terminal stations in about 7.5 hours.

What stations will the Vande Bharata Express train cover?

The information has not been officially shared by the Vande Bharata Train, but it is expected to cover Kollam, Kottayam, Ernakulam Town, Thrissur, and Kozhikode.

PM to inaugurate the new Vande Bharata Express train

According to some BJP officials, Prime Minister Modi might inaugurate the new train during his Kerala visit.

On the other hand, Congress-led UDF opposition urged the railway minister to extend the routes of the proposed Vande Bharat Express.

Union Railway Minister, Ashwini Vaishnaw, who is a leader of the Opposition in the State Assembly, expects the extension of high-speed railway connectivity in the state.

According to media reports, the Opposition has pointed to extending the current Vande Bharata Express train route to cover the northernmost district of Kasaragod.

The leader of the Opposition added, "Please note that Kasargod forms part of the existing railway system in the state and could have been seamlessly incorporated into the existing route of the Vande Bharata Express without much pain. Leaving out the northern district of Kasaragod is considered a grave injustice to the people of Kasaragod."

Vande Bharata Express Trains: Full list

1. New Delhi-Varanasi Vande Bharata Express

2. New Delhi-Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra (J&K) Vande Bharata Express

3. Gandhinagar-Mumbai Vande Bharata Express

4. New Delhi-Amb Andaura Vande Bharata Express

5. Chennai-Mysore Vande Bharata Express

6. Nagpur-Bilaspur Vande Bharata Express

7. Howrah-New Jalpaiguri Vande Bharata Express

8. Secunderabad-Visakhapatnam Vande Bharata Express

9. Mumbai-Solapur Vande Bharata Express

10. Mumbai-Shirdi Vande Bharata Express

11. Hazrat Nizamuddin-Rani Kamlapati station Vande Bharata Express

12. Secunderabad-Tirupati Vande Bharata Express

13. Chennai-Coimbatore Vande Bharata Express

14. Ajmer-Delhi Cantt Vande Bharata Express