Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagged off four Vande Bharat trains on Saturday. Among them was the Ernakulam-KSR Bengaluru Vande Bharat, the first inter-state semi-high-speed premium train service linking the southern states of Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka.
The three states in the peninsula have a lot of passenger traffic among them, as evidenced by the full trains, and demand for bus services, especially during the holiday season.
There are people from Bengaluru who work in Kochi, and vice versa, with the two cities housing tech parks (ITBP and Infopark). Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram—the capital city that has the largest tech park in Kerala, Technopark—already have a pair of Vande Bharat trains connecting them. The addition of the Bengaluru-Ernakulam route essentially knits together the connectivity to Tamil Nadu and Karnataka as well.
The 26651/26652 Ernakulam-KSR Bengaluru Vande Bharat touches major stations in Kerala (Thrissur, Palakkad), Tamil Nadu (Coimbatore, Tiruppur, Erode, Salem), and Karnataka (Krishnarajapuram aka KRpuram) along the route.
Onboard moments from the Ernakulam – KSR Bengaluru Vande Bharat Express, flagged off by Hon’ble PM Shri Narendra Modi today! 🚄✨
— Southern Railway (@GMSRailway) November 8, 2025
A proud stride forward in India’s rail revolution. 🇮🇳#VandeBharat #SouthernRailway #IndianRailways #VandeBharatExpress pic.twitter.com/g7DoBqxMlF
It is the third Vande Bharat train that starts from Kerala. "KSR Bengaluru-Ernakulam Vande Bharat Express will provide seamless connectivity between Ernakulam and Bengaluru," Southern Railway stated.
"The existing two Vande Bharat services, between Kasaragod and Thiruvananthapuram (via Kottayam), and Thiruvananthapuram and Mangaluru Central (via Alappuzha) intertwine the southern and northern ends of Kerala and beyond," the statement read.
Currently, normal express trains take anywhere between 10 and 12 hours to run the 583km stretch between Ernakulam and Bengaluru. The new Vande Bharat promises the journey in 8 hours 40 minutes, according to the Southern Railway.
"It is a revolution on rails. ROR. It should roar," Union Minister of State for Petroleum, Natural Gas and Tourism Suresh Gopi said, at the event in Kochi on Saturday that saw PM Modi flag off the train via online from Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh.
IRCTC ticket rates
The official IRCTC portal recently listed the Ernakulam-KSR Bengaluru Vande Bharat. Currently, there is no dropdown to opt out of the food, and these are the pre-tax rates:
26651 KSR Bengaluru-Ernakulam Jn: Rs 1,655 (CC with Rs 364 catering), Rs 3015 (EC with Rs 419 catering)
26651 KSR Bengaluru-Coimbatore: Rs 1,155 (CC with Rs 142 catering), Rs 3015 (EC with Rs 175 catering)
26652 Ernakulam Jn-Coimbatore: Rs 705 (CC with Rs 101 catering), Rs 1,340 (EC with Rs 140 catering)
26652 Ernakulam Jn-Salem: Rs 965 (CC with Rs 101 catering), Rs 1,855 (EC with Rs 140 catering)
Modi flags off our Vande Bharat trains
Modi was at the Banaras railway station when he flagged off all four new Vande Bharat Express trains. The other three Vande Bharat trains connect Banaras-Khajuraho, Lucknow-Saharanpur, and Firozpur-Delhi.
A melody of joy onboard the inaugural special Ernakulam – KSR Bengaluru Vande Bharat Express! 🎶🚄
— Southern Railway (@GMSRailway) November 8, 2025
School students filled the coaches with patriotic songs, celebrating the spirit of the moment.
Souvenir tickets were also presented to young winners of various competitions held… pic.twitter.com/1hO1hxAgo5
The 26651/26652 Ernakulam-KSR Bengaluru Vande Bharat will start its regular run on November 9, 2025, when it will depart from Bengaluru at 5.10 am. It is scheduled to arrive at Ernakulam at 1.50 pm. The train is scheduled to depart from Ernakulam at 2.20 pm and arrive at Bengaluru at 11 pm. Wednesday will be the only day the train won't run.
Features of the new Vande Bharat trains include GPS-based infotainment, bio-vacuum toilets, ergonomic seating, automatic doors, reading lights and Wi-Fi.
