Newly launched Bengaluru-Ernakulam VB express to cut travel time by 2 hours; Full schedule here
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Bengaluru: Malayalees in Bengaluru can now reach their hometowns faster and conveniently, thanks to the newly launched Vande Bharat Express connecting the Silicon City to Ernakulam, which cuts travel time by around 2 hours.
The service will enhance connectivity between major IT, commercial, and educational hubs in Kerala, Karnataka, and Tamil Nadu.
The service was flagged off earlier in the day by Prime Minister Narendra Modi alongside, Banaras–Khajuraho, Lucknow–Saharanpur, and Firozpur–Delhi trains.
The high speed train will only take 9 hours, from the other regular service that take more than 11-12 hours of journey.
The newly introduced KSR Bengaluru–Ernakulam Vande Bharat Express is the first inter-state Vande Bharat train for Kerala, linking the state directly with Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. With this addition, the Southern Railway zone will now operate 12 pairs of Vande Bharat Express trains.
Train number 26651 will depart from KSR Bengaluru City Junction at 5:10 AM and reach Ernakulam Junction at 1:50 PM, covering a distance of approximately 550 km with seven scheduled halts.
The return service, 26652 Ernakulam–Bengaluru Vande Bharat Express, departs from Ernakulam at 2:20 PM and arrives in Bengaluru at 11:00 PM.
The train will halt at 7 stations, which are as follows:
KSR Bengaluru City Jn: Departure – 05:10 AM
Krishnarajapuram: 05:25 AM
Salem Jn: 08:15 AM
Erode Jn: 09:05 AM
Tiruppur: 09:47 AM
Coimbatore Jn: 10:35 AM
Palakkad Jn: 11:30 AM
Thrissur: 12:30 PM
Ernakulam Jn: Arrival – 01:50 PM
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Compromised PM didn't sign trade deal with US, but a bargain for Adani's release: Rahul
New Delhi (PTI): Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of signing a trade deal with the US only to secure the "release" of billionaire businessman Gautam Adani.
"Compromised PM did not strike a trade deal, but a bargain for Adani's release," Gandhi said in a post in Hindi on X, after reports that the US has agreed to settle the lawsuit that accused Adani of hiding alleged bribery.
The US government has agreed to settle the lawsuit filed against Adani, who is accused of duping investors by concealing that his company's huge solar energy project in India was being facilitated by an alleged bribery scheme, according to court filings published Thursday.
Reacting to the reports, Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said it was now clear why the PM agreed to the "hopelessly one-sided Indo-US trade deal that was really a steal by the US".
"And it is also clear why he abruptly halted Operation Sindoor on May 10, 2025, acting on President Trump's threats rather than on our national interest. Reportedly, the Trump Administration is about to drop all charges of corruption against Modani," he said on X.
"How much more compromised can the PM get?" Ramesh asked.
In the lawsuit filed in late 2024, the Securities and Exchange Commission accused Adani Group Chairman Gautam Adani and his nephew Sagar Adani, who is a director at the group's renewable energy unit Adani Green Energy Ltd, of agreeing to pay about USD 265 million in bribes to Indian government officials between approximately 2020 and 2024 to obtain lucrative solar energy supply contracts on terms that expected to yield USD 2 billion of profit over 20 years.
It was alleged in the lawsuit that Adani Group raised USD 2 billion in loans and bonds, including from US firms, on the backs of false and misleading statements related to the firm's anti-bribery practices and policies.
The ports-to-energy conglomerate had denied the allegations.
