Bengaluru Vande Bharat routed via Ernakulam to TN
The eagerly awaited Ernakulam-Bengaluru Vande Bharat Express was rerouted from the Trivandrum division to travel on the Mysuru-Chennai route, meaning Kerala was treated unfairly once again by the Indian Railways.
A new Vande Bharat rake that was assigned to the South Western Railway division has been redirected to the Trivandrum division. “The rake intended for the Ernakulam-Bengaluru service has been removed in order to operate a new service from Mysuru,” wrote Ernakulam Member of Parliament Hibi Eden to Union Minister for Railways Ashwini Vaishnaw.
He claimed to have written to the railway officials to request the start of the Kochi-Bengaluru Vande Bharat service, stressing its significance.
“I have nothing against Railways introducing new services or trains to any part of the nation. However, we feel that it is a great injustice to move a rake that was initially assigned to the Trivandrum division to another zone. Hibi pleaded with you to step in and see to it that a fresh Vande Bharat rake is immediately assigned for the Bengaluru-Ernakulam route.
Based on data, he said, the Railway Minister and senior Railway officials had repeatedly informed him that operating the Vande Bharat train on the Ernakulam-Bengaluru line would be advantageous for both passengers and the railroads.
The Minister of Railways was persuaded. To Thiruvananthapuram was even brought the rake for the same. An official declaration was still awaited, but the railway officials had already verified this informally, he said. The MP said that in addition to transporting the Vande Bharat train, special systems were set up at the Ernakulam marshalling yard for the Vande Bharat’s restoration, which would cost crores of rupees.
He said that the train is now being smuggled to operate on the Mysuru-Chennai line with the BJP leadership’s complicity. He went on, “This incident is an example of the Railways’ neglect towards Ernakulam.”
He pleaded with the Union Minister to order the Railways to provide a formal explanation, stating that the cancellation of the approved Vande Bharat train is blatantly unjust and that the decision should be reevaluated.
