Augmented Mangaluru-Thiruvananthapuram Vande Bharat Express to have coaches with orange livery

16-car Vande Bharat Express rake arrives at Mangaluru Central, increasing passenger capacity and enhancing service efficiency.

The 16-car Vande Bharat Express rake to upgrade the eight-car rake of Mangaluru Central-Thiruvananthapuram Central-Mangaluru Central VB Express (Train No. 20631/632) arrived at Mangaluru Central Railway Station on Thursday.

While the present eight-car rake has the white-and-blue livery, the 16-car rake that was spotted at Mangaluru Central has the bright orange livery and was said to have been manufactured in 2024.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the Mangaluru-Thiruvananthapuram service virtually on March 13, 2024, following the extension of the Kasargod-Thiruvananthapuram-Kasargod service. Within a year, the service became popular and had 200% occupancy, compelling the authorities to augment coaches, said a senior official at Southern Railway’s Palakkad Division.

With the 16-car rake arriving a week in advance, there were speculations that the augmented service might start before May 22, the appointed date. However, officials said the nearly nine-month-old rake would undergo minor refurbishment at the Mangaluru Coaching Depot before commencing services from May 22.

The 16-car rake would enhance the passenger carrying capacity of the services from about 530 to 1,128. Another Vande Bharat Express operating between Thiruvananthapuram-Kasargod-Thiruvananthapuram (Train No. 20634/633) was already upgraded to a 20-car rake in January this year.

Train No. 20631 leaves Mangaluru Central at 6.25 a.m. to reach Thiruvananthapuram Central at 3.05 p.m. In the return direction, Train No. 20632 leaves Thiruvananthapuram Central at 4.05 p.m. to reach Mangaluru Central at 12.40 a.m. (past midnight). The fares on the Mangaluru-Thiruvananthapuram VB Express are ₹1,615 for CC and ₹2,945 for EC classes. In the return journey, the fares are fixed at ₹1,575 and ₹2,910 for CC and EC classes, respectively.