Kannur: Indian Railways is planning to run the Vande Bharat Sleeper trains to Kerala on three main routes: Thiruvananthapuram–Chennai, Thiruvananthapuram–Bengaluru and Thiruvananthapuram–Mangaluru. Priority is being given to the Chennai and Bengaluru routes from Thiruvananthapuram. Currently, the revenue from the two running Vande Bharat Express trains favours the Thiruvananthapuram–Mangaluru route.

The railway is evaluating enhanced connectivity between the two states ahead of the Kerala and Tamil Nadu assembly elections. The first Vande Bharat service in Kerala ran in April 2023 and proved to be a hit.

Only confirmed tickets will be issued for the Vande Bharat Sleeper. RAC (Reservation Against Cancellation) and waiting list tickets will not be available. The minimum journey distance for booking is 400 kilometres. The fully air-conditioned train will have 16 coaches accommodating 823 passengers, including 11 three-tier AC, four two-tier AC and one first-class AC coach.

Comfort comes at a higher fare

  • Mangaluru–Thiruvananthapuram (via Kottayam) – 631 km, current travel time 14 hours. Vande Bharat Sleeper will save around three and a half hours. The fare is ₹500 higher than the express train’s three-tier and two-tier charges.
  • Thiruvananthapuram–Chennai (via Palakkad) – 922 km, current travel time 16 hours 30 minutes. Vande Bharat Sleeper will reduce journey time by three hours. Fare is ₹1,000 higher than the express train.
  • Thiruvananthapuram–Bengaluru – 844 km, current travel time 15 hours 30 minutes. Vande Bharat Sleeper will save three hours. Fare is ₹800 higher than the express train.