Kochi: Bengaluru Malayalis hoping to reach home quickly for the Onam holidays were in for a rude shock as the Vande Bharat Express was delayed by 6 hours on Sunday.

The Bengaluru-Ernakulam Vande Bharat Express, which was scheduled to depart at 5.15 am, was delayed by 6 hours. Passengers who were stranded as a result lodged complaints on Rail Madad and other platforms. Some passengers said they had to spend several hours at the station as they were not informed in advance about the delay.

The delay also affected the Bengaluru-bound Vande Bharat from Ernakulam Junction. The train, scheduled to depart at 2.20 pm, finally left at around 8.30 pm.

A similar delay of several hours had occurred two months ago. At the time, railway authorities had attributed the delay to traffic regulations in Bengaluru.