Onam boost for Bengaluru-Ernakulam Vande Bharat Express; Seats up from 530 to 1,128

In a major relief for passengers travelling between Bengaluru and Kerala, the Railway Board has approved the deployment of a 16-coach rake for the Bengaluru-Ernakulam Vande Bharat Express. Scheduled to begin operations this week, the upgraded train will replace the existing eight-coach service, providing a massive boost to seating capacity ahead of the Onam festival.

The decision to double the number of coaches comes as a blessing for hundreds of expatriates and students heading home for the festive season. With this upgrade, the total seating capacity of the premium train will jump from 530 to 1128 seats, which is expected to resolve the persistent waitlist issues.

Massive rush during Onam holidays
The demand for travel to Kerala from Bengaluru skyrockets during festive seasons. Booking data indicates that the waitlist for the chair car service on the Bengaluru-Ernakulam route has already crossed 100 for August 21 and August 22. Similarly, confirmed tickets are completely unavailable for return journeys scheduled between August 29 and August 31. The introduction of the larger 16-coach train is expected to immediately clear the bottleneck and accommodate more passengers.

Train timings
The Bengaluru - Ernakulam Vande Bharat Express (26651) departs daily (except Wednesdays) from Bengaluru at 5.10 am and arrives in Ernakulam (ERS) at 1.50 pm. In the Ernakulam-Bengaluru (26652) direction, the train departs at 2.20 pm and arrives in Bengaluru at 11 pm.

Railways decline Ernakulam-Thiruvananthapuram service proposal
While the upgrade brings cheer to Bengaluru commuters, the Railway Board has turned down a proposal to introduce a new short-distance Vande Bharat service between Ernakulam and Thiruvananthapuram. Rail authorities argue that the short-distance route is not feasible because the rake would remain idle at Thiruvananthapuram station for several hours each day, resulting in underutilisation of resources.

However, passenger associations have contested this reasoning, pointing out that other railway zones in the country successfully operate short-distance Vande Bharat trains by linking them to longer routes. They suggest that a similar model could easily be adopted to connect Ernakulam, Thiruvananthapuram, and Chennai.

According to proposals put forward by these associations, a train departing Ernakulam early in the morning could reach Thiruvananthapuram by 10 am. This same rake could then depart for Chennai at 11 am, travelling via Nagercoil, Madurai, and Tiruchirappalli, arriving by 7 pm. A reverse service could depart Chennai at 8 am, arrive in Thiruvananthapuram by 7 pm, and reach Ernakulam at 8 pm. Despite the feasibility of this interstate linkage, Southern Railway has yet to consider the proposal.