The Railway Ministry has announced the allocation of three new Amrit Bharat trains and one passenger train for Kerala. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to flag off all three Amrit Bharat trains during his visit to Thiruvananthapuram on January 23. The new services include the Nagercoil-Mangaluru Amrit Bharat Express, Thiruvananthapuram-Tambaram Amrit Bharat Express, Thiruvananthapuram-Hyderabad Amrit Bharat Express, and the Guruvayur-Thrissur passenger train.
The Nagercoil-Mangaluru and Thiruvananthapuram-Hyderabad Amrit Bharat Express trains will run via Kottayam, while the Thiruvananthapuram-Tambaram service will operate through Nagercoil. The Guruvayur-Thrissur train will be a MEMU service. Railway officials said the allocation comes after Kerala was initially left out of the list of states receiving new Amrit Bharat Express trains.
Initially, the Amrit Bharat services will run weekly with stops at major stations, while the Guruvayur-Thrissur passenger train will operate daily. The trains will feature amenities similar to the Vande Bharat trains. The non-AC services, capable of carrying over 1,800 passengers, are designed for speeds above 130 km per hour.
However, the trains will operate in Kerala according to sectional speeds approved by the railway safety wing. Trains with engines at both ends will run at a maximum of 110 km per hour in select sections, with lower speeds in others, including the Ernakulam-Shoranur stretch. On January 23, the Amrit Bharat trains will be welcomed at major stations across the state following their flag-off in Thiruvananthapuram at around 10.45 a.m. One rake of the new service reached Thiruvananthapuram North station on Monday.
