Nagercoil: The trial run of the much-awaited Chennai Egmore – Nagercoil Vande Bharat Express has been completed. The train covered 742 kilometres in 8 hours and 50 minutes. Vande Bharat that departed Chennai Egmore station at 5 am reached Nagercoil Junction at 1.50 pm. The return journey began at 2.20 pm and reached Egmore at 11.15 pm. A Vande Bharat train of eight coaches was used for the trial run which was conducted before flagging off the six-day service. The authorities said that the trial run was completed satisfactorily. Meanwhile, the Bengaluru – Kanyakumari Island Express that leaves Thiruvananthapuram at 12.05 pm would act as the connection train for Nagercoil – Chennai Egmore Vande Bharat. The Island Express reaches Nagercoil at 1.50 pm while the Vande Bharat departs the station at 2.20 pm. The Vande Bharat train is likely to be inaugurated by the Prime Minister on the next available date.
Speed to be reduced
Meanwhile, the railways are also planning to reduce the speed of certain premium trains including Vande Bharat. The will be slowed down to 130 kmph on certain routes, from the current 160 kmph speed. This step is taken to ensure safety. The speed of Gatiman Express and Shatabdi Express trains is also likely to be reduced. Shatabdi's speed would be reduced from 150 to 130 kmph. This will probably result in the trains slowing down by around 30 minutes. As per reports, the trains will run at reduced speeds until the anti-collision system named Kavach is fully operational on high-speed trains. The Kavach installation process is currently in progress.
