KOCHI: The Ministry of Railways has announced the schedule for the new Bengaluru–Kochi Vande Bharat Express, which is set to commence operations soon.

According to a notification issued by the Railway Board on Friday, train number 26651 KSR Bengaluru–Ernakulam Junction Vande Bharat Express will depart from Bengaluru at 5.10 am and reach Ernakulam Junction at 1.50 pm.

The return service, 26652 Ernakulam Junction–KSR Bengaluru, will leave Ernakulam at 2.20 pm and arrive in Bengaluru at 11 pm. The train will have stops at Krishnarajapuram, Salem, Erode, Tiruppur, Coimbatore, Palakkad, and Thrissur.

The ministry has instructed the Southern Railway and South Western Railway zones to introduce the service at the earliest possible date. “If required, the inaugural train may be operated as a special service which shall pick up its respective link subsequently,” the notification said.

This will be the third Vande Bharat Express service in Kerala, after the Thiruvananthapuram–Kasaragod and Thiruvananthapuram–Mangaluru routes.