The Thiruvananthapuram Division of the Southern Railway has spent a significant amount for the inauguration of the Thiruvananthapuram-Kasaragod Vande Bharat Express in Kerala. According to an RTI document, Rs 1.48 crore was incurred for the inaugural event. This information was revealed in response to a query by Ajay Bose, an RTI activist from Maharashtra. The inaugural ceremony took place on April 25, 2023, at the Thiruvananthapuram Central station, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi officially launching Kerala's first Vande Bharat Express train service.
Ajay Bose, a former railway official and RTI activist, expressed concern over the utilisation of taxpayers' money for such purposes, suggesting that it should be directed towards more pressing matters, including enhancing railway safety.
The Thiruvananthapuram Railway Division provided information regarding its own expenses for the inauguration, while the total expenditure associated with the event will be provided by the Southern Railway Headquarters.
This Vande Bharat Express train is the first of its kind in Kerala and the third for the Southern Railways. The train service connects Kasaragod and the state capital, Thiruvananthapuram, significantly reducing the travel time between the two destinations from 12-13 hours to just eight hours.
The 20634/20633 Thiruvananthapuram-Kasaragod Vande Bharat Express consists of 14 AC Chair Car coaches and 2 Executive Chair Car coaches. Operating six days a week, the train departs from Kasaragod at 2:30 pm and arrives at Thiruvananthapuram Central at 10:35 pm. The return journey starts from Thiruvananthapuram Central at 5:20 am, reaching Kasaragod at 1:25 pm.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi today inaugurated five Vande Bharat trains in Madhya Pradesh. Two trains were flagged off physically, while three were inaugurated through virtual mode. The Bhopal-Indore and Bhopal-Jabalpur routes were directly inaugurated in Madhya Pradesh, while the Ranchi-Patna, Dharwad-Bengaluru, and Goa-Mumbai routes were inaugurated via video conferencing.
During the inauguration event at Rani Kamalapati railway station in Bhopal, Prime Minister Modi was accompanied by Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, Madhya Pradesh Governor Mangubhai Patel, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Union ministers Narendra Singh Tomar and Jyotiraditya Scindia, and other dignitaries.
This event marked the first time multiple Vande Bharat trains were launched on the same day. Prime Minister Modi stated in a tweet that these trains would enhance connectivity in Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Goa, Bihar, and Jharkhand.
The five semi-high-speed trains inaugurated are the Rani Kamalapati (Bhopal)-Jabalpur Vande Bharat Express, Khajuraho-Bhopal-Indore Vande Bharat Express, Madgaon (Goa)-Mumbai Vande Bharat Express, Dharwad-Bengaluru Vande Bharat Express, and Hatia-Patna Vande Bharat Express, as per an official statement. Two of these trains specifically cater to Madhya Pradesh, where Assembly elections are scheduled to take place by the end of the year.