Ernakulam-Bengaluru Vande Bharat launched; 1st semi-high-speed train between Kerala, TN, Karnataka
Ernakulam (PTI): The Ernakulam-KSR Bengaluru Vande Bharat, one of the four trains that Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagged off on Saturday, is the first inter-state semi-high-speed premium train service linking Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, the Southern Railways said.
Since it links three states, the train will boost business and tourism, officials said.
The eight-coach train traverses major cities of Kerala and Tamil Nadu, including Thrissur, Palakkad, Coimbatore, Tiruppur, Erode, Salem, before reaching Krishnarajapuram and KSR Bengaluru. It is the third Vande Bharat train that originates from Kerala.
"KSR Bengaluru-Ernakulam Vande Bharat Express will provide seamless connectivity between Ernakulam, the commercial capital of Kerala and the cosmopolitan city of Bengaluru," a press note from Southern Railway said.
"The existing two Vande Bharat services, between Kasaragod and Thiruvananthapuram (via Kottayam), and Thiruvananthapuram and Mangaluru Central (via Alappuzha) intertwine the southern and northern ends of Kerala and beyond," it said.
An intercity train service that runs between Ernakulam and Bengaluru takes over 11 hours to cover the 583-km distance. However, the new Vande Bharat train will complete this journey in 8 hours and 40 minutes, officials said.
The train's regular service will start from November 9, 2025, when it will depart from Bengaluru at 5:10 am to arrive at Ernakulam at 1:50 pm. On its return journey, the train depart from Ernakulam at 2:20 pm and arrive at Bengaluru at 11 pm. It will operate six days a week except Wednesday.
Highlighting its benefits, Southern Railway said that it would provide fastest connectivity between Ernakulam and Bengaluru which is a high traffic demand corridor.
"It is the first Vande Bharat service to Palakkad, the Gateway of Kerala. Since it links three states - Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala, it is going to boost business, education, tourism, pilgrimage and healthcare travel," officials said.
"The Vande Bharat trains offer comfortable, safe, and premium onboard experience with modern amenities like GPS - based infotainment, bio-vacuum toilets, ergonomic seating, automatic doors, reading lights and Wi-Fi," they added.
According to the Railway Ministry, with over 164 such trains criss-crossing the length and breadth of the country, the Vande Bharat trains are bridging economic, social and cultural barriers.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Odisha: Normalcy returns to violence-hit Malkangiri; internet services fully restored
Malkangiri (PTI): Normalcy returned to Odisha’s Malkangiri district on Monday, nearly a week after around 200 villages were damaged in violent clashes in a village, with the district administration fully restoring internet services, a senior official said.
Additional District Magistrate Bedabar Pradhan said internet services, suspended across the district on December 8 to curb the spread of rumours and misinformation following the clashes, were restored after the situation improved.
The suspension had been extended in phases till 12 noon on Monday.
The administration also withdrew prohibitory orders imposed under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita within a 10-km radius of MV-26 village, where arson incidents were reported on December 7 and December 8.
Though the violence was confined to two villages, tension had gripped the entire district, as the incident took the form of a clash between local tribals and Bengali settlers following the recovery of a headless body of a woman on December 4, officials said.
ALSO READ: Why remove Mahatma Gandhi's name, asks Priyanka on move to replace MGNREGA
The violence broke out after residents of Rakhelguda village allegedly set ablaze several houses belonging to Bengali residents, forcing hundreds to flee. The headless body of Lake Podiami (51), a woman from the Koya tribe, was recovered from the banks of the Poteru river on December 4, while her head was found six days later at a location about 15 km away.
Officials said the district administration held several rounds of discussions with representatives of the tribal and Bengali communities, following which both sides agreed to maintain peace.
Relief and rehabilitation work has since been launched at MV-26 village, with preliminary assessment pegging property damage at around Rs 3.8 crore.
A two-member ministerial team headed by Deputy Chief Minister K V Singh Deo visited the affected village, interacted with officials and locals, and submitted a report to the chief minister.
So far, 18 people have been arrested in connection with the violence, the officials said, adding that despite the withdrawal of prohibitory orders and restoration of internet services, security forces, including BSF and CRPF personnel, continue to be deployed to prevent any untoward incident.
On Sunday, Nabarangpur MP Balabhadra Majhi visited MV-26 and neighbouring Rakhelguda villages, and held discussions with members of both communities as part of efforts to rebuild confidence and restore peace.
More than two lakh Bengali-speaking Bangladeshis were rehabilitated by the Centre in Malkangiri and Nabarangpur districts in 1968, and they currently reside in 124 villages of Malkangiri.
