Kochi: The launch of the Ernakulam – Bengaluru Vande Bharat was announced last month and it was expected to be flagged off before the Lok Sabha election notification was out. Though there were no updates on it so far, a new Vande Bharat rake has been brought to Kollam, triggering assumptions that it must be for the latest service. However, the Railway hasn’t issued any other official confirmation about the service yet. Even if it is announced, the train will be operated as a special service, without any fanfare or inaugural ceremony, as the Model Code of Conduct is in effect.

This will be one of the three Vande Bharat trains allotted to Southern Railway. Even a schedule, according to which the train reaches Ernakulam Junction from Bengaluru in the morning and returns by noon, was in consideration. Meanwhile, maintenance facilities for the Vande Bharat trains have been arranged at the Marshalling yard in Ernakulam. The service is expected to begin at 5 am from Ernakulam and reach Bengaluru by noon. The same train might return to Ernakulam by 11 pm.

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However, passengers who need to reach Kottayam or Alappuzha may not be able to find proper transportation facilities at night. So, the request has also been made to the authorities to change this schedule. Passengers demanded earlier that the Vande Bharat service should reach Ernakulam by morning and return to Bengaluru in the evening.

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