Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Kerala for two days to launch the state’s first Vande Bharat train between Thiruvananthapuram and Kasargod. The train will pass through 11 districts, including Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Kottayam, Ernakulam, Thrissur, Palakkad, Pathanamthitta, Malappuram, Kozhikode, Kannur, and Kasargod.
Modi also inaugurated the nation’s first water metro in Kochi, which will offer safe, inexpensive, and convenient transportation to residents and visitors. The water metro will have eight electric-hybrid boats that will launch on two routes: High Court to Vypin and Vyttila to Kakkanad. The cost of a single ticket for the High Court to Vypin route is Rs 20, and the cost for Vyttila to Kakkanad is Rs 30.
During his visit, Modi spoke with schoolchildren inside one of the train’s coaches before signalling the Vande Bharat Express off from platform 1 of the railway station. The governor of Kerala, Arif Mohammed Khan, the chief minister, Pinarayi Vijayan, and Congress MP Shashi Tharoor were also present.
The Vande Bharat Express has been suggested as an alternative to the LDF government’s SilverLine semi-high speed rail corridor, which will link the state capital with Kerala’s northernmost Kasaragod district.
