The newly upgraded 20-car Vande Bharat Express on the Mangaluru Central–Thiruvananthapuram Central–Mangaluru Central route began its maiden journey on Tuesday from Mangaluru. Previously, the train operated with 16 coaches.
Train No. 20631 was received at Thiruvananthapuram Central by Divyakant Chandrakar, Divisional Railway Manager of Southern Railway, along with Additional DRM M.R. Viji and other senior officials, according to an official release.
Railways had doubled the number of coaches on Train Nos. 20631/632 from eight to 16 starting May 22, less than three months after the previous coach revision. The service, which initially ran between Thiruvananthapuram and Kasaragod, was extended to Mangaluru Central on March 13, 2024.
The new 20-car rake, the 89th produced by Integral Coach Factory in Chennai, left Mangaluru Central at 6:25 a.m., reached Thiruvananthapuram Central at 3 p.m., and returned to Mangaluru at 4:05 p.m. The addition of four more chair car coaches increased seating capacity from 1,128 to 1,440 passengers.
Officials inspected the upgraded train at Thiruvananthapuram Central and interacted with crew, passengers, and staff. The service continues to be extremely popular, achieving an impressive 160% seat occupancy, the release noted.
