Southern Railway is considering a proposal to operate a Special Vande Bharat Express train in Kerala during Diwali festival to clear the rush. The special train will connect Chennai, Kochi and Bengaluru and will start its service from Chennai on November 9, Railways sources said.
If comes into force, the special will have eight rakes that are expected to handle the weekend rush on the routes. The service will be operated after receiving permission from South Western Railway. If the proposal is accepted, Vande Bharat Special train will run on November 9- 12 (Friday, Saturday and Sunday) on the Ernakulam-Bengaluru route. There will be two services on the Chennai-Bengaluru route.
As per the schedule in the proposal, the train will leave Chennai on November 9 night and reach Bengaluru at 4.00 am on November 10 and depart for Ernakulam at 4.30 am. It will reach Ernakulam at 1.30 pm. It will leave at 2 pm and reach Bengaluru at 10.30 pm. On November 11 and 12, it will leave Bengaluru at 4.30 am and return to Ernakulam at noon. It will leave Bengaluru for Chennai at 11.30 pm on November 12.
The service will be operated using the Vande Bharat spare rake in Chennai. It will have eight coaches. The recommendation given by the Southern Railway is being considered by the South Western Railway, sources said.
