The demand to extend the service of the Bengaluru Cantonment-Ernakulam Junction Vande Bharat Special Express to the Onam season is getting stronger, reports Manorama Online. Currently, the service is scheduled to operate till August 26. The service, which started on August 1, is experiencing bigger crowds on Saturdays and Sundays. Although the tickets for the regular trains to Kerala were sold out months ago, the announcement of running a special train has been delayed. There is no action either on the demand to make Vande Bharat a permanent service. Since the train departing from Cantonment has been allotted a stop at KR Puram, it has become more convenient for those coming from places including Whitefield. Vande Bharat which departs from Cantonment at 5.30 am on Thursdays, Saturdays and Mondays, reaches Ernakulam at 2.20 pm. It will leave Ernakulam on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays at 12.50 pm and reach Bengaluru at 10 pm.
No review of Garib Rath cancellation
The Railways has not reviewed its decision to cancel the Yeswanthapura-Kochuveli Garib Rath Express (12257/12258) from August 20 to September 18. The three-days-a-week service has been cancelled as part of the platform demolition for Yeshwanthapura station renovation. But no other long-distance trains departing from the same station have been cancelled. The Railways also have not considered the demand to examine the possibilities of starting services from Chikkabanavara and Banaswadi for a month. With this, a train service to Kerala will be lost during the busy season of Onam. Those who booked tickets in Garib Rath four months before Onam did not get seats on other trains instead. Garib Rath service runs from Yeswantapura to Kochuveli on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays and back on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. The Bengaluru Cantonment stops of 44 trains, including those operating in Kerala, were also suspended from September 20 to December 20 (92 days) as part of the station renovation.
Night travel ban on Shiradi Pass lifted
The night travel ban on the Shiradi Pass on the Bengaluru-Mangaluru National Highway (NH-75) has been lifted. Night travel has been banned for heavy vehicles since July 16 due to continuous landslides. The ban was lifted after the rain subsided.
Kannur Express to Baiyappanahalli
As part of Bengaluru-Yeshwanthapura station upgradation, the KSR Bengaluru-Kannur Express (16511/16512) via Mangaluru will depart from SMVT terminal at Baiyappanahalli from November 1. The change in the departing terminal will be effective till March 31, 2025. The SMTV Bengaluru-Kannur Express (16511) will depart from Baiyappanahalli at 8.25 pm and reach Yeshwanthapura at 9.25 pm. The Kannur-SMVT Bengaluru Express will leave Kannur at 05.05 pm and reach Yeshwanthapura at 6.10 am and Baiyappanahalli at 7.45 am.
