The BRICS TimesThe Ministry of Railways has officially released the operational timetable for the upcoming Bengaluru–Kochi Vande Bharat Express. This new semi-high-speed service is expected to begin running very soon.
Four New Routes Join the Vande Bharat Fleet
Indian Railways is set to roll out four new Vande Bharat Express services. This move will further expand the nation’s semi-high-speed rail network.
A report from the news agency PTI confirmed the timetable release for the new Bengaluru–Kochi route. This service will start operations soon. The Indian Express also quoted a railway official on three other new trains. These additional trains will run on the Firozpur Cantt–Delhi, Varanasi–Khajuraho, and Lucknow–Saharanpur routes.
The Firozpur Cantt–Delhi Vande Bharat will link several cities in Punjab to the national capital. The Varanasi–Khajuraho train will connect the neighboring states of Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh. Furthermore, the Lucknow–Saharanpur Vande Bharat will connect the state capital to the northwest region. A senior railway official confirmed this development to the English daily. He stated, “Four new Vande Bharat trains have been notified.”
These newly approved trains will cover Karnataka, Kerala, Punjab, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, and Delhi. This marks another important step in the government’s push for faster and more comfortable rail travel options.
Bengaluru–Kochi Vande Bharat Express Schedule
According to a Friday notification from the Railway Board, train number 26651 will run from KSR Bengaluru to Ernakulam Junction. It will depart Bengaluru at 5:10 am. The train will arrive at Ernakulam Junction at 1:50 pm. The return service is train number 26652 Ernakulam Junction–KSR Bengaluru. It will leave Ernakulam at 2:20 pm. This service will reach Bengaluru at 11:00 pm. The train will stop at Krishnarajapuram, Salem, Erode, Tiruppur, Coimbatore, Palakkad, and Thrissur.
Inaugural Service and Rollout Plans
The ministry has instructed both the Southern Railway and South Western Railway zones. They must introduce the Bengaluru–Ernakulam service “at the earliest possible date.” The official notification also stated, “If required, the inaugural train may be operated as a special service which shall pick up its respective link subsequently.” This particular service will be Kerala’s third Vande Bharat Express. Existing services run on the Thiruvananthapuram–Kasaragod and Thiruvananthapuram–Mangaluru routes.
Akshay Didwaniya
