Kerala is getting ready to launch the Vande Metro service in an effort to improve the transportation infrastructure and give commuters a top-notch travel experience.
This ambitious project intends to alter the state's commuter landscape and provide travellers with a streamlined, effective, and comfortable journey.
Kerala has been allotted the Vande Metro as part of the railway budget for 2023-24. The project is being explored for both the Thiruvananthapuram and Palakkad divisions, with each division evaluating five routes.
Ten potential routes are currently being considered.
Ernakulam-Kozhikode, Kozhikode-Palakkad, Palakkad-Kottayam, Ernakulam-Coimbatore, Thiruvananthapuram-Ernakulam, Kollam-Tirunelveli, Kollam-Thrissur, Mangalore-Kozhikode, and Nilambur-Metupalayam are among the routes currently under consideration.
Among these routes, electrification of the track is yet to be completed till Nilambur.
The Vande Metro trains will be outfitted with 12 fully air-conditioned carriages to ensure maximum passenger comfort. The trains are expected to reach a top speed of 130 kmph.
The first Vande Metro train rake is scheduled to leave Chennai's Integral Coach Factory (ICF) in November.
The Railway Board is presently examining potential routes for the new services, and each railway zone in the country has been ordered to nominate five Vande Metro trains.
Vande Metro
Vande Metro is a scaled-down version of Vande Bharat Express, the country's first indigenous semi-high-speed train.
The train is intended to travel fewer than 100 km. The Vande Metro will serve large cities in a 50-60 km radius, where there are densely populated areas.
The Vande Metro will run much more frequently than the Vande Bharat Express. The train will travel four to five times every day, according to Ashwini Vaishnaw, Union Minister of Railways.
Additionally, it is anticipated that daily commuters will find it affordable to travel by these trains.
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