Ernakulam – Bengaluru Vande Bharat Express rake reaches Kerala: Huge demand for tickets

Palakkad: The rake of the much-anticipated Vande Bharat Express from Ernakulam to Bengaluru via Palakkad has reached Ernakulam station. The train will be flagged off from Kochi on July 31. The rake, brought from Shorannur, was earlier kept at Kollam, Ernakulam and Mangaluru as well. The Southern Railways has now instructed to use the orange-hued, brand–new rake with eight coaches for the Bengaluru service. There won’t be an experimental run on this route as there had been a temporary Vande Bharat service in the Kottayam – Bengaluru route during last Christmas – New Year season.

EKM Bengaluru Vande Bharat schedule
The service that gets flagged off at 12.50 pm on July 31 from Ernakulam will run until August 25. The train will operate services on Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays from Ernakulam to Bengaluru and on Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays from Bengaluru back to Ernakulam. The weekly maintenance works are scheduled on the remaining days. The train is likely to be made permanent depending upon the number of passengers and the income it might generate. The schedule is as follows:
1) Vande Bharat from Bengaluru Cantonment to Ernakulam Junction (06002) departs from Cantonment at 5:30 am and reaches Ernakulam at 2:20 pm on Thursdays, Saturdays, and Mondays.
2) The Ernakulam-Bengaluru Cantonment Vande Bharat (06001) departs from Ernakulam at 12:50 pm on Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays and reaches Bengaluru at 10 pm.
3)Vande Bharat will operate 24 trips in both directions from July 31 to August 26.

The train will cover the distance of 620 km from Bengaluru to Ernakulam Junction in 9 hours and 10 minutes. Stops have been sanctioned at Salem, Erode, Tirupur, Pothanur, Palakkad, and Thrissur. The KSR Bengaluru–Ernakulam Junction Intercity Express (12677/12678), which runs daily services between the two cities, covers a distance of 587 km in 10 hours and 33 minutes. The intercity service operates via Hosur and has stops at 14 places.

Booking begins
Meanwhile, ticket booking has skyrocketed within just two days after announcing the service. The train will have stops at Thrissur, Palakkad, Pothannur, Tirupur, Erode and Salem. Due to speed restrictions in the Dharmapuri single line, the train will take the Jolarpet route from Salem. The train could accelerate up to 120 kilometres in the Jolarpet line. Meanwhile, the train will take the A twin single line through the Valayar forest area to Bengaluru and return via the B line. However, there is a speed restriction here too to protect the wild animals.