PM Modi to flag off Kerala’s first Vande Bharat Express at Thiruvananthapuram
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will flag off Kerala’s first Vande Bharat Express at Thiruvananthapuram Central Station, tomorrow morning. Under the Make in India initiative, a target has been set to manufacture 400 Vande Bharat trains in the coming years. Our correspondent reports that the train will provide a faster, more comfortable, and more convenient travel experience to rail users. It will also boost tourism and promote economic development in the region.
Vande Bharat trains have created a new identity of speed, efficiency, and convenience. Kerala’s first Vande Bharat Express is between Thiruvananthapuram and Kasargod, passing through 11 districts, and covering a distance of around 588 kilometers in around eight hours.
It will have stoppages at Kollam, Kottayam, Ernakulam Town, Thrissur, Shoranur, Kozhikode, and Kannur. The train will operate on all days except Thursdays. The regular services will begin on Wednesday from Kasaragod station at 2.30 pm. The bookings have already begun. The Vande Bharat Express will be faster by around one hour as compared to Rajdhani running on the same route.
On the same day in Kerala, Prime Minister Modi will also lay the foundation stone and dedicate various projects to the nation worth more than three thousand two hundred crore rupees. The Prime Minister will lay the foundation of various rail projects including the redevelopment of Thiruvananthapuram, Kozhikode, and Varkala Sivagiri railway stations.
The rail electrification of Dindigul-Palani-Palakkad section will also be dedicated by the Prime Minister. He will also dedicate the Kochi water metro to the nation. This project will connect ten islands around Kochi through battery-operated electric hybrid boats for seamless connectivity with Kochi city.
During the event, Mr Modi will lay the foundation stone of the Digital Science Park in Thiruvananthapuram. Digital Science Park is envisaged as a key research facility to develop digital products and services by industry and business units in collaboration with academia.
