PM Modi Flags Off Vande Bharat Express In Kerala's Thiruvananthapuram

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is spending two days in Kerala, kicked off the state's first Vande Bharat train between Thiruvananthapuram and Kasargod today. He later travelled to Kochi, where he on Tuesday inaugurated the nation's first water metro. Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Kottayam, Ernakulam, Thrissur, Palakkad, Pathanamthitta, Malappuram, Kozhikode, Kannur, and Kasargod are among the 11 districts that the train will pass through.

The first-of-its-kind Kochi water metro project will increase tourism while offering residents and visitors in and around Kochi safe, inexpensive, and convenient transportation. Eight electric-hybrid boats will launch the water metro's first phase of service on two routes: High Court to Vypin and Vyttila to Kakkanad. The price for a single ticket on the route from the High Court to Vypin has been set at Rs 20. The cost to travel from Vyttila to Kakkanad is Rs 30.

Meanwhile, on Tuesday morning, the Prime Minister arrived in Thiruvananthapuram to a warm reception. He then departed for the main train station.

PM Modi spoke with several schoolchildren inside one of the train's coaches before he signalled the Vande Bharat Express off from platform 1 of the railway station. As the PM spoke with the students onboard the train, the governor of Kerala, Arif Mohammed Khan, the chief minister, Pinarayi Vijayan, and Congress MP Shashi Tharoor were also there.

Furthermore, many have suggested the Vande Bharat Express as an alternative to the LDF government's ambitious semi-high speed rail corridor, SilverLine, which will link the state capital with Kerala's northernmost Kasaragod district.