Kerala's first Vande Bharat train service extended till Kasaragod: Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw

Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Tuesday said Kerala's first Vande Bharat Express, which will be launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on April 25, will cover Kasaragod.

He said the decision was taken following a request from Union Minister of State V Muraleedharan.

Initially, the train was planned to run between Thiruvananthapuram and Kannur.

''Kerala's first Vande Bharat Express has been extended to Kasaragod,'' Vaishnaw said while addressing reporters from Kerala here.

The minister also said the Railways is going to upgrade the tracks in Kerala in two phases.

Under Phase I, Rs 381 crore has been sanctioned for converting the entire track from Kasaragod to Thiruvananthapuram to a speed potential of 110 kmph. This will be done within one-and-a-half years, he said.

The second phase, which will involve straightening the turns and other necessary adjustments, will take two to three-and-a-half years to be completed, and after this, the speed potential of the track will be increased to 130 kmph, he added.

Thiruvananthapuram is an important urban area which has a lot of small sub-cities around it. There were discussions with the state government over improving the connectivity of the region, Vaishnaw said.

Efforts are also being made to decongest the Thiruvananthapuram station.

The minister also said that while as of now only one Vande Bharat Express has been allotted to Kerala, many more will be introduced in the future.

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