Payyanur: Kerala's Vande Bharat trains are gaining not only in speed but also in passenger revenue. Two pairs of Vande Bharat trains recorded a combined revenue of ₹249.65 crore in 2025-26 from stations in Kerala, compared to ₹166.65 crore in 2024-25.

The trains generated nearly ₹83 crore more revenue after their coaches were increased to 20.

The Thiruvananthapuram-Kasaragod Vande Bharat (20634) earned ₹60.88 crore in the last financial year, compared to ₹50.92 crore in 2024-25. Its return service, the Kasaragod-Thiruvananthapuram Vande Bharat (20633), generated ₹67.47 crore, up from ₹54.26 crore the previous year.

The Thiruvananthapuram-Mangaluru Vande Bharat (20632) earned ₹62.20 crore in 2025-26, compared to ₹30.71 crore in 2024-25. The Mangaluru-Thiruvananthapuram service (20631) recorded revenue of ₹59.10 crore, against ₹30.75 crore the previous year.

More coaches, more seats

The Thiruvananthapuram-Mangaluru-Thiruvananthapuram Vande Bharat (20631/20632), which runs via Alappuzha, was upgraded from eight coaches to 16 coaches in May 2025. It was further increased to 20 coaches in September 2025.

The train now has 18 chair car coaches and two executive chair car coaches. Its seating capacity increased from 1,016 to 1,336, adding 320 seats. The increase in capacity contributed to the rise in revenue compared to the previous financial year.

The Thiruvananthapuram-Kasaragod-Thiruvananthapuram Vande Bharat (20634/20633), which had 16 coaches, was upgraded to 20 coaches in January 2025.

The train continues to record occupancy of close to 200 per cent, with around 200 passengers using seats during the journey in a train with 100 seats, when passengers boarding and alighting are taken into account.

Station-wise Vande Bharat revenue

The station-wise revenue generated by Vande Bharat trains in 2025-26 was:

  • Thiruvananthapuram Central: ₹51.25 crore
  • Kollam: ₹11.04 crore
  • Chengannur: ₹5.33 crore
  • Alappuzha: ₹4.30 crore
  • Kottayam: ₹8.66 crore
  • Ernakulam Town: ₹28.58 crore
  • Ernakulam Junction: ₹25.60 crore
  • Thrissur: ₹17.94 crore
  • Shoranur: ₹5.46 crore
  • Kozhikode: ₹34.30 crore
  • Kannur: ₹32.21 crore
  • Kasaragod: ₹13.30 crore
  • Mangaluru: ₹9.24 crore