Bengaluru and Kochi are about to get closer with the launch of the Vande Bharat Express next week.
Starting July 31, the train will depart from Ernakulam, and from Bengaluru Cantonment on August 1. It will run three times a week, making 12 trips in each direction.
According to M Senthamil Selvan, Chief Public Relations Officer, Southern Railway, this train will be a special service to handle extra passenger demandm as quoted by DH. The Vande Bharat Express will be the fastest train on this route, cutting the travel time to about nine hours, compared to the usual 10 to 12 hours.
The train numbers and schedules are as follows:
- 06001 Ernakulam-Bengaluru Cantonment Vande Bharat Special: Runs on Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays. Leaves Ernakulam Junction at 12:50 pm and arrives in Bengaluru Cantonment at 10:00 pm.
- 06002 Bengaluru Cantonment-Ernakulam Vande Bharat Special: Runs on Thursdays, Saturdays, and Mondays. Departs Bengaluru Cantonment at 5:30 am and reaches Ernakulam Junction at 2:20 pm.
The train will make stops at Thrissur, Palakkad, Podanur, Tiruppur, Erode, and Salem. It features eight coaches, including seven chair cars and one executive class.
Bookings for the Ernakulam-Bengaluru Cantonment service are already open, with reservations for the return journey expected to start soon.
Fare Details:
- Chair-car: Rs 1,465 (includes meals)
- Executive class: Rs 2,945
According to Deccan Herald, Karnataka Railway Vedike’s KN Krishna Prasad praised the new service but also expressed concern about the inconvenient timings, noting that many Malayali professionals in Bengaluru prefer overnight trains. He also pointed out the lack of a stop at KR Puram, a key area near the city’s IT hub.
Bengaluru already boasts several Vande Bharat routes, including connections to Chennai, Mysuru, Dharwad, Kalaburagi, Hyderabad, and Coimbatore, with proposals for a new train to Madurai in the works.
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