Government sources said that the high‑speed Vande Bharat Express will start running between Ernakulam in Kerala and Bengaluru in Karnataka by mid‑November, a change announced by Union Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Wednesday.
The decision followed a virtual meeting between the minister and the BJP team in Kerala, where Kerala BJP President Rajeev Chandrasekhar had proposed the new route. On the social‑media platform X, the minister posted that the proposal had been “considered” and the train launch is scheduled for November.
In addition to the new express, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw confirmed that 488 festive special trains will operate across Kerala to make holiday travel easier for millions of passengers.
Earlier, the minister also approved four major railway projects that will add roughly 894 km to the national network. These projects span 18 districts in Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and Chhattisgarh and are intended to improve both passenger and freight movement. Vaishnaw noted that seven key corridors carry about 41 % of India’s rail traffic—including cargo and passengers—so strengthening them is a top priority.
The four projects include the Wardha‑Bhusawal line, now being upgraded to a 2‑line corridor with new 3rd and 4th tracks, a 314 km stretch costing about ₹9,197 crore. It will feature 4 major bridges, 72 large bridges and 537 minor bridges, along with tunnels to enhance connectivity across six states.
Another project, the Gondia‑Dongargarh link, will add a 4th line to an existing 3‑line route, covering 84 km at an estimated cost of ₹2,223 crore. The expansion will reduce carbon emissions by around 2.3 million kilograms of CO₂ annually.
These moves underline the government’s commitment to modernising India’s railway infrastructure and boosting travel between key economic centres.
Source: aninews
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