Proposed Nagercoil–Bengaluru Vande Bharat Sleeper Express route entails additional time, fare: Association

MADURAI: The proposal to operate the Nagercoil–Bengaluru Vande Bharat Sleeper Express via Kerala would entail longer journey and higher cost for passengers, said the Eraniel Railway Passengers Association (ERPA), urging the Indian Railways to run it through Tamil Nadu.

In a representation sent to Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Tuesday (August 25), the association said it learnt through media reports that the Vande Bharat Sleeper was proposed from Nagercoil to Bengaluru via Thiruvananthapuram, Kottayam, Ernakulam, Palakkad, Coimbatore and Salem.

The proposed route would take 13 to 14 hours from Nagercoil to Bengaluru and cost Rs 2,335 for a three-tier AC ticket, making it less useful for passengers from Kanniyakumari, said Edward Jeni, general secretary, Kanniyakumari District Railway Users Association.

On the contrary, if the train is operated through Tamil Nadu via Tirunelveli, Madurai, Namakkal, and onward to Bengaluru, the distance would come down to about 664 km and the fare would be around Rs 1,690, while the journey would take eight to nine hours, he said.

The proposed route would therefore entail an additional Rs 640 fare and about five extra hours travelling, Jeni said.

Hence, the train should be operated from Thiruvananthapuram Central, which it said was the primary passenger base for the service, and through Tamil Nadu, said the association.

It also sought better rail connectivity to Kanniyakumari by extending existing trains to Nagercoil, Kanniyakumari, and Tirunelveli, and extending the Madurai–Bengaluru Vande Bharat Express to Nagercoil via Tirunelveli.

To reduce terminal congestion at Thiruvananthapuram Central, the association also sought the extension of the Thiruvananthapuram Central–Mangaluru Express to Nagercoil. It said the move would provide overnight passenger connectivity between Kanniyakumari district and northern Kerala while reducing congestion at Thiruvananthapuram Central.

The association also sought the extension of the Thiruvananthapuram North–Nagercoil Passenger train to Tirunelveli or Thoothukudi, the Coimbatore–Nagercoil Superfast Express to Kanniyakumari, and the shifting of the originating station of the Nagercoil–Kollam Passenger to Kanniyakumari.

The ERPA further requested the Railways to extend the Madurai–Bengaluru Cantt. Vande Bharat Express to Nagercoil via Tirunelveli, using a shorter route that avoids Tiruchy.