PM Modi flags off Kerala's first Vande Bharat Express train from Thiruvananthapuram

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday flagged off Kerala's first Vande Bharat Express train between Thiruvananthapuram and Kasargod from Thiruvananthapuram Central Station.

Vande Bharat, the semi-high-speed train from Thiruvananthapuram to Kasaragod, will cover the distance between the two places in about eight hours, thereby reducing the average travel time by almost three hours.

According to Prime Minister's Office (PMO), the train will cover 11 districts, Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Kottayam, Ernakulam, Thrissur, Palakkad, Pathanamthitta, Malappuram, Kozhikode, Kannur and Kasargod.

The Prime Minister was accorded a warm welcome as he reached Thiruvananthapuram on Tuesday morning. He then left for the central railway station.

Prior to flagging off the Vande Bharat Express from platform 1 of the railway station, he interacted with a group of school children inside one of the coaches of the train.

Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and Congress MP Shashi Tharoor were also present with the PM as he interacted with the students inside the train.

The children showed Modi paintings and sketches of him and the Vande Bharat train made by them.

Hundreds of people also gathered on the opposite side platform to see the PM flag off the train.

The Vande Bharat Express, which will connect the state capital with the northern-most Kasaragod district of Kerala, has been projected by many as an alternative to the LDF government's ambitious semi-high speed rail corridor, SilverLine.

After the flagging off of the train, he is scheduled to launch several other developmental projects, including the Kochi Water Metro service, from the Kerala Central Stadium.

(With PTI inputs)

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