Pathanamthitta ∙ The first Vandebharat train to Kerala will arrive next month. The trial run of the train will take place in mid-May. Repair facility for Vandebharat trains completed at Kochuveli. 2 pitlines are electrified for this purpose. Like the Chennai-Coimbatore route, Kerala will also get an 8-car (coach) Vandebharat train. The number of coaches will be increased later considering the rush of passengers. Although it was planned to run Vandebharat on Thiruvananthapuram – Mangaluru route, it is likely to run till Kannur. The final decision will be made soon. Due to dual carriageway, Vandebharat will operate via Kottayam route. The speed limit from Ernakulam to Thiruvananthapuram is 75, 90 and 100 kmph. Unlike other trains, Vandebharat is able to pick up speed quickly and can maintain an average speed above 65.
Stops will be only in major cities as providing more stops will slow down the speed. Vandebharat reaches its destination 30 minutes to one hour earlier than the current high-speed train on most of the routes that have started service. It is expected that the average speed of Vandebharat trains in Kerala will be 65 to 70 kmph. The maximum speed of trains in Palakkad division is 110 km but in Thiruvananthapuram the speed is only 80 km from Shornur to Ernakulam. On the Thiruvananthapuram-Kannur route, the fastest service to Kannur is Thiruvananthapuram-Nizamuddin Rajdhani via Alappuzha. The journey time is 7 hours 57 minutes. The average speed is 61.51 kmph. Kannur-Thiruvananthapuram Janasatabdi via Kottayam is the fastest train in the opposite direction. 9 hours 20 minutes, average speed 53.57 kmph.