Kerala’s 3rd Vande Bharat Express Kochi-Bengaluru to start service today; Know timings, routes, fare, and more

The Indian Railways has introduced its third Vande Bharat train for Kerala. Starting Wednesday, it will run on the Ernakulam—Bengaluru route three days a week.

Ernakulam-Bengaluru Vande Bharat Express timing

The Ernakulam-Bengaluru Vande Bharat Express will commence operations from Ernakulam Junction at 12:50 PM, reaching Bengaluru at 10:00 PM. On the return journey, it will depart Bengaluru Cantt at 5:30 AM and arrive back at Ernakulam Junction at 2:20 PM. The train will stop at Thrissur, Palakkad, Podanur, Tirupur, Erode, and Salem.

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Fare price

Ticket bookings for the new service, managed by IRCTC (Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation), are already underway. The fare for travel between Ernakulam and Bengaluru is ₹1,465 for an AC Chair Car and ₹2,945 for an Executive Chair Car.

Schedule

The service will operate from Ernakulam to Bengaluru on Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays. And from Bengaluru to Ernakulam on Thursdays, Saturdays, and Mondays. This new train will benefit many Malayalis working in Bengaluru's IT sector and will stop at Ernakulam, Thrissur, Palakkad, Pothannur, Tiruppur, Erode, Salem, and Bengaluru.

Also Read: Vande Bharat trains its sights on a faster track

India made a significant advancement in rail technology by introducing indigenous semi-high-speed trains in February 2019. Initially known as Train 18 during production, these trains were renamed Vande Bharat Express upon launch.

Designed to reach speeds of up to 180 km/h, Vande Bharat trains are often limited to 130 km/h due to track conditions, and this speed is only achievable on select sections of each route. As a result, the average speeds are lower despite the trains' quick acceleration and deceleration capabilities.

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Nonetheless, Vande Bharat trains remain the fastest option on all their routes. The inaugural New Delhi-Varanasi route, despite being the longest, holds the record for the highest average speed at 95 km/h.