Infrastructure
Vande Bharat Express With New Logo Of 'Running Cheetah', Signifying Higher Speed, Flagged Off From Thiruvananthapuram
Arun Kumar Das
Apr 25, 2023, 11:41 AM | Updated 11:47 AM IST
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Signifying higher speed, an image of a running cheetah with spots embossed all over, on the front of Vande Bharat Express, was flagged off by Prime Minister Narendra Modi from Thiruvananthapuram station on Tuesday (25 April).
However, cheetah, the latest entrant to the big cat family in India and the fastest land animal in the world, which can run at a maximum speed of 130 kmph, seems to be behind the race as Vande Bharat train is capable of running at maximum speed of 160 kmph.
According to the Railways plan, the upcoming light weight Vande Bharat trains with aluminium body will be equipped to run at a maximum speed of 200 kmph.
The first Vande Bharat train of Kerala, manufactured at Integrated Coach factory (ICF) Chennai under Make-in-India initiative, is expected to boost tourism in the state as the service aims to provide a comfortable and faster ride to passengers.
The commercial service with 1,000 total seats will start on Wednesday (26 April) from Kasaragod. There are 914 chair car seats and 86 executive class seats in the 16-coach train.
With the launch of the premier train, pilgrimage tourism is expected to get a boost especially to Thiruvananthapuram's Anantha Padmanabhaswamy temple, Thrissur's ThrissurPooram and Guruvayur temple, Chottanikkara Bhagavathy temple, etc.
The scenic Kovalam beach, Neyyar Dam, Poovar island in Trivandrum, the pristine backwaters of Ernakulam, Ashtamudi lake and famed lighthouse in Kollam, the historic Bekal Fort in Kasaragodand other enduring monuments and picturesque locations will also see a spike in tourist footfalls.
Vande Bharat Express between Thiruvananthapuram and Kasargod will be passing through 11 districts and covering a distance of around 588 km in around eight hours. The train will operate on all days except Thursdays. The regular services will begin on Wednesday from Kasaragod station at 2.30pm.
Besides Vande Bharat, Prime Minister Modi also laid the foundation stone and dedicated various projects to the nation worth more than Rs 3,200 crore.
The Prime Minister will lay the foundation of various rail projects including the redevelopment of Thiruvananthapuram, Kozhikode, and Varkala Sivagiri railway stations. The rail electrification of Dindigul-Palani-Palakkad section was also dedicated by the Prime Minister.
The inaugural service will have stoppages at 14 railway stations and souvenir passes for travel have been issued for various sections including rail enthusiasts and school students.
Offering the faster connectivity between southern and northern Kerala, the premier train will stop at Kollam, Kayamkulam, Chengannur, Thiruvalla, Kottayam, Ernakulam Town, Chalakudy, Thrissur, Shoranur, Tirur, Kozhikode, Thalassery, Kannur and Payyanur before concluding the journey at Kasaragod.
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Arun Kumar Das is a senior journalist covering railways. He can be contacted at akdas2005@gmail.com.
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