Indian Railways is all set to commence the operations of the 15th Vande Bharat Express in Kerala. It would be the fourth state in South India after Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, and Karnataka to receive the premium train. The semi-high-speed train's test run has already started, according to the railway officials.

Between the train stations in Thiruvananthapuram and Kannur, the Vande Bharat Express is expected to run. The 501 miles between the two final stations should be travelled by train in 7.5 hours. The Union Railway Ministry has not yet formally announced that the train will stop at Kozhikode, Thrissur, Kottayam, Kollam, or Ernakulam Town.

According to top Kerala BJP officials, Prime Minister Narendra Modi may launch the new train during his visit to the state later this month. They called it a "Vishu kaineettam"—a message from the Prime Minister and the Center—to the residents of the state. On the day of the harvest festival "Vishu," which occurs on Saturday, April 15, this year, family elders customarily offer gifts, particularly money, to members of the home as "kaineettam."

Locals in Palakkad responded enthusiastically to the unexpected arrival of rakes of the semi-high speed train from Chennai this morning, swarming the station with BJP workers to see it and give it a spectacular welcome.

On Sunday, the Congress-led UDF opposition in Kerala urged the Union Railway Ministry to expand the proposed Vande Bharat Express's route through the state up to Mangalore station in Karnataka so that residents of Kasaragod, Kerala's most northern district, can also take use of it.

Leader of the Opposition (LoP) in the State Assembly V D Satheesan requested a route extension in a letter to Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw to provide "overall high-speed railway connectivity in the state."
The existing route of the proposed Vande Bharat Express, as per reports,  was from Thiruvananthapuram to Kannur, leaving out the northernmost district of Kasaragod.

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