Union Minister of State (MoS) V Muraleedharan, along with a multitude of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) supporters, gave a warm reception to the Kasaragod-Thiruvananthapuram Vande Bharat Express train, which arrived at the Central Station in the district late on Sunday evening, approximately at 11 pm.
Speaking to ANI, V Muraleedharan emphasized that this marks the first instance in the annals of Indian Railways where a train has attained celebrity status.
He remarked, “The second Vande Bharat train allocated for Kerala, inaugurated by PM Modi, has reached Thiruvananthapuram after its journey. It has been an unforgettable experience for all those who journeyed on this train. Thousands of people who congregated at various railway stations, including school children on board, expressed their affection and appreciation for the travel experience. Countless individuals took selfies with the train… This could very well be the first time in Indian history, and the history of Indian Railways, that a train has become a celebrity.”
Kerala’s second semi-high-speed train was among the nine Vande Bharat Express trains inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday.
The arrival of the Vande Bharat at Thiruvananthapuram Central Station was met with enthusiastic individuals taking photographs and showering flower petals.
“I want to extend my gratitude to the Prime Minister for providing this world-class facility to the state of Kerala,” added V Muraleedharan.
The train will operate six days a week, excluding Tuesdays, on the Kasaragod-Thiruvananthapuram route, with a travel time of 8 hours and 5 minutes. The second train dedicated to the state will run via the Alappuzha route, while the first Vande Bharat operates via Kottayam.
In addition to the Kasaragod-Thiruvananthapuram route, several other new trains were inaugurated on Sunday, including the Udaipur-Jaipur Vande Bharat Express, Tirunelveli-Madurai-Chennai Vande Bharat Express, Hyderabad-Bengaluru Vande Bharat Express, Vijayawada-Chennai (via Renigunta) Vande Bharat Express, Patna-Howrah Vande Bharat Express, Rourkela-Bhubaneswar-Puri Vande Bharat Express, Ranchi-Howrah Vande Bharat Express, and Jamnagar-Ahmedabad Vande Bharat Express.
The Vande Bharat train is an initiative of the government under PM Modi’s ‘Make in India’ vision.