New biweekly Humsafar Express train from Kochuveli to Bengaluru
A new biweekly train between Kerala and Bengaluru will be flagged off on October 20. The Union Minister of State for Tourism Alphons Kannanthanam will flag off the train at Thiruvananthapuram. The train will operate between Kochuveli and Banaswadi which is located about 6km away from Bengaluru, the minister said from Delhi. Kannanthanam said the Railway Minister Piyush Goyal had written to him sanctioning the new train, which will run as a Humsafar Express, with fully air-conditioned and modern coaches.
P Krishnakumar, member of the divisional railway consultative committee, said the railway authorities have made it clear that the new train will have stop at Krishnarajapuram which will make it easy for the passengers from Kerala to Bengaluru. Krishnakumar said the railway authorities had informed at the consultative committee meeting held at Thiruvananthapuram on Wednesday that the rake for the new trains have already arrived in Kerala. He said the officials had also informed that the doubling work at the Kuruppanthara-Ettumanur sector would be completed by March 2019. According to the officials some more land is to be acquired in the Kuruppanthara-Chingavanam sector and the state government had been approached for this.
According to Kannanthanam the train will start from Kochuveli at 6.50pm on Thursday and Saturday from Kochuveli and will reach Banaswadi at 10.45am on Friday and Sunday. In the return journey the train will start from Banaswadi at 7pm on Friday and Sunday and will reach Kochuveli at 9.05am on Saturday and Monday.
The Railway officials had disclosed that the proposal to extend the Ernakulam-bound long distance trains with diesel engines to Harbour terminus is under their consideration. They had also disclosed that the Naval authorities have been approached to get sanction for electrifying the Ernakulam Junction-Harbour terminus rail line.
