Mumbai, July 3 -- Southern Railway will increase the Bengaluru Ernakulam Vande Bharat Express (Vande Bharat) from eight to 16 coaches ahead of the Onam travel season, adding 598 seats per trip to meet rising demand between Karnataka and Kerala. The upgraded rake is expected to be introduced in the first week of July, nearly seven months after the train was launched last November, railway sources said. The decision follows sustained high occupancy and advanced bookings for festival dates.
With the augmentation, seating capacity will rise from 530 to 1,128, enabling 598 more passengers to travel on each trip and reducing pressure on waitlists during peak periods. As the service operates six days a week, the expanded configuration will carry an additional 6,768 passengers in one direction every week, according to railway authorities. Ticketing patterns for key dates in August prompted the enhancement to address short term surges in demand.
The service has recorded occupancy levels of 120-140 per cent during festival seasons and long weekends, reflecting concentrated travel flows between Bengaluru and Kerala. Railway planners indicated that the extra coaches will substantially ease the festive season rush and improve passenger comfort without altering journey timings. The move is aimed at ensuring better distribution of passengers across available services and reducing dependence on waitlisted tickets for seasonal travellers.
The Vande Bharat covers the 630-km journey between Bengaluru and Ernakulam in eight hours and 40 minutes, stopping at nine stations en route. The enhanced rake is scheduled to enter service in early July and authorities will monitor patronage and operational performance thereafter. Any further adjustments to coach composition or service frequency will be guided by observed demand patterns and logistical considerations as the railway evaluates outcomes of the augmentation.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Construction World.