Get ready for a significant upgrade in rail travel for Kerala! As Indian Railways gears up to launch its innovative semi-high-speed Vande Bharat sleeper trains across the nation, starting with the Delhi-Patna route, there’s growing anticipation that Kerala will soon welcome at least one of these comfortable new services. The most promising route appears to be the Mangaluru-Thiruvananthapuram corridor.
Kozhikode Member of Parliament, M.K. Raghavan, recently shared with The Hindu that his proposals for three Vande Bharat sleeper routes beneficial to Kerala passengers received a positive response from Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnav. “I specifically suggested services for the Bengaluru-Kozhikode, Chennai-Kozhikode, and Mangaluru-Thiruvananthapuram routes,” Raghavan stated. “The Minister showed particular interest in the Mangaluru-Thiruvananthapuram proposal, while the other two are still under consideration.”
Potential Extension to Kozhikode
Raghavan also highlighted his suggestion to extend the existing Goa-Mangaluru Vande Bharat service (train numbers 20645/20646) further south to Kozhikode. He noted that while the Goa-Mangaluru route hasn’t seen overwhelming demand, Kerala’s current Vande Bharat services have been immensely popular and financially successful. Despite this positive feedback, the extension is still awaiting official implementation.
Currently, Kerala boasts two operational Vande Bharat services: one connecting Kasaragod and Thiruvananthapuram (train numbers 20633/20634), and another running between Mangaluru Central and Thiruvananthapuram Central (train numbers 20631/20632).
The upcoming Vande Bharat sleeper trains are specifically designed for longer journeys, capable of reaching speeds of up to 160 km/hr. Production of these advanced coaches is underway at railway coach factories in Chennai and Rae Bareli, with Indian Railways aiming to roll out at least ten such sleeper trains by the end of the year.
Awaiting Official Word
However, despite the MP’s optimistic update, sources from the Public Relations department of the Palakkad Railway Division have indicated that no official communication has yet been received regarding the Mangaluru-Thiruvananthapuram Vande Bharat sleeper service. A final decision from the Railway Board is still pending.