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Kochi, Nov 7 (IANS) Prime Minister Narendra Modi will flag off the inaugural special of the Ernakulam-KSR Bengaluru Vande Bharat Express through video conferencing from Varanasi on Saturday. Government officials gave this information on Friday.
This will be the third Vande Bharat service for Kerala and the 12th pair to operate within the Southern Railway network.
Southern Railway officials said the new service will enhance regional connectivity and boost economic and social ties between Kerala and Karnataka.
The launch of Ernakulam-Bengaluru Vande Bharat is being seen as part of Indian Railways’ continued efforts to expand semi-high-speed connectivity to major cities in the south.
Officials said the new service will provide seamless connectivity between Kerala’s commercial hub Ernakulam and India’s IT capital Bengaluru, benefiting professionals, entrepreneurs and students alike.
The train will run through Thrissur, Palakkad, Coimbatore, Tiruppur, Erode, Salem and Krishnarajapurm before reaching Bengaluru.
Formal ceremonies will be organized on all these stations with live streaming of the Prime Minister’s inauguration.
Elected representatives, officials, students and general public are expected to attend and the train will be given a warm welcome at each stop.
Ernakulam-Bengaluru train, whose inaugural special number is 06652, will depart from Ernakulam Junction at 8 am and reach KSR Bengaluru at 5.50 pm on the same day.
It will have a Vande Bharat rake with eight coaches equipped with modern passenger amenities.
The Prime Minister’s main event will be at Banaras Railway Station, from where he will also inaugurate three other Vande Bharat Express services – Banaras-Khajuraho, Lucknow-Saharanpur, and Firozpur Cantt-Delhi.
Formal ceremonies will be held at Ernakulam and stations en route to Kerala and Tamil Nadu, including Thrissur, Palakkad, Coimbatore, Tiruppur, Erode and Salem.
At present, two pairs of Vande Bharat trains are running in Kerala and the trains remain full on most days.
–IANS
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