Kerala’s 3rd Vande Bharat Express upgraded to 16 coaches after 9 months: Check route

Nine months following the inauguration of Kerala's third Vande Bharat Express train, the Indian Ministry of Railways has expanded its seating capacity to 16 coaches, as reported by the South Western Railway zone. This upgraded Vande Bharat Express, operated between Ernakulam and KSR Bengaluru, initially featured eight coaches upon its launch.

The enhanced edition, set to commence operation from August 17, 2026, will include two Executive Chair Car coaches and fourteen Chair Car coaches, totaling sixteen coaches. Presently, three Vande Bharat Express trains are in service in Kerala, namely Train numbers 20631/20632 (Mangaluru Central-Thiruvananthapuram Central-Mangaluru), 20633/20634 (Kasaragod-Thiruvananthapuram Central-Kasaragod), and the upgraded Ernakulam-KSR Bengaluru-Vande Bharat Express.

SN Narain, Chief Public Relations Officer (CPRO) of Southern Railway, confirmed the augmentation in a statement. Notably, this Vande Bharat train traverses a distance of 638 kilometers in 8 hours and 40 minutes, making it the fastest train on this route, as opposed to others that require over eleven hours. The train runs six days a week, excluding Wednesday, and halts at seven stations along its journey, including Coimbatore, Palakkad, Salem, Erode, Tiruppur, Coimbatore, Palakkad, and Thrissur.

The train's timetable indicates that Train number 26651 departs from KSR Bengaluru at 05:10 AM, reaching Ernakulam at 13:50 PM. Conversely, Train number 26652 provides a return service, departing Ernakulam at 14:20 PM and arriving at KSR Bengaluru at 11:00 PM.