The 20631/20632 Kasaragod - Thiruvananthapuram Vande Bharat Express (via Alappuzha) is India's 33rd Vande Bharat Express train, connecting Kasaragod with state capital Thiruvananthapuram in Kerala. It is the second Vande Bharat Express in Kerala as well as India's first saffron coloured semi-high speed train. The service was inaugurated on 24 September 2023 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi via video conference from New Delhi.
Overview
This train is operated by Indian Railways, connecting Kasaragod, Kannur, Kozhikode, Tirur, Shoranur Junction, Thrissur, Ernakulam Junction, Alappuzha, Kollam Junction and Thiruvananthapuram Central. It is the second Vande Bharat Express train allocated to Kerala. The first train started its service between Kasaragod and Thiruvananthapuram via Kottayam route in April 2023. It is currently operated with train numbers 20631/20632 on 6 days a week basis.
Rakes
It is the thirty-first 2nd Generation and nineteenth Mini Vande Bharat 2.0 Express train which was designed and manufactured by the Integral Coach Factory at Perambur, Chennai under the Make in India Initiative. It is India's first Mini VB 2.0 Express train, running the tracks with the Saffron-Grey livery with 25 more modifications in the rakes. As per reports, a pairing train is allocated as there are a few problems in the maintenance of the train as per the current Time Table.
Coach Composition
The 20631/20632 Kasaragod - Thiruvananthapuram Vande Bharat Express (via Alappuzha) has currently 7 AC Chair Car Coaches and 1 Executive Chair Car coaches. The coaches in Aqua color indicate AC Chair Cars and the coaches in Pink color indicate AC Executive Chair Cars.
Service
The 20631/20632 Kasaragod - Thiruvananthapuram Vande Bharat Express (via Alappuzha) operates 6 days a week, covering a distance of in a travel time of 8 hrs 5 mins with average speed of 73 km/h. Currently, the maximum permissible speed between Thiruvananthapuram and Alappuzha is 100 km/h. It can only travel at a speed of 90 kmph from Alappuzha to Ernakulam, whereas the speed will be 80 kmph between Ernakulam and Shoranur and 100 to 110 km/h after Shoranur.
Schedule
The schedule of this 20631/20632 Kasaragod - Thiruvananthapuram Vande Bharat Express (via Alappuzha) is given below:-
Gallery
Incidents
See also
Kasaragod - Thiruvananthapuram Vande Bharat Express (via Kottayam) Vande Bharat Express Tejas Express Gatimaan Express Kasaragod railway station Alappuzha railway station Thiruvananthapuram Central railway station