Daijiworld Media Network – Mangaluru
Mangaluru, May 20: In a major relief for passengers, Indian Railways has decided to increase the number of coaches for the Thiruvananthapuram–Mangaluru Vande Bharat Express, starting May 22, in response to the rising demand and heavy passenger traffic on the route. The train, which currently operates with eight coaches, will now run with 16 coaches — comprising two Executive Class coaches and 14 Chair Car coaches.
The announcement was officially made by the Southern Railway, which stated that this move aims to ease overcrowding and improve ticket availability, especially in Kerala where both existing Vande Bharat services face high demand.
Train number 20631/20632 (Mangaluru Central–Thiruvananthapuram Central Vande Bharat) will commence operations with the extended rake from May 22. The enhanced composition includes an additional Executive Coach and seven Chair Cars, doubling the seating capacity and adding 530 more seats.
At present, Kerala has two operational Vande Bharat services — the first between Thiruvananthapuram and Kasaragod (via Kottayam), which was upgraded to a 20-coach train earlier this year. Following its success, Indian Railways has extended similar enhancements to the second Vande Bharat route between Thiruvananthapuram and Mangaluru (via Alappuzha).
The revised Vande Bharat schedule sees the train departing Mangaluru at 6:25 am and reaching Thiruvananthapuram at 3:05 pm. On the return journey, it will leave Thiruvananthapuram at 4:05 pm and reach Mangaluru at 12:40 am.
Despite strong passenger demand for the Mangaluru-bound service, the previous 8-coach configuration led to severe ticket shortages. The inclusion of eight more coaches is expected to significantly ease this pressure. According to railway sources, if the new 16-coach format proves successful, plans are in place to further increase the rake to 20 coaches.
Meanwhile, the Nagercoil–Chennai Vande Bharat Express is also set to operate with a 20-coach formation soon, underscoring Indian Railways’ focus on expanding capacity and enhancing passenger convenience across premium rail services.
Palakkad Railway Division PRO B Devadanam stated that this development will offer much-needed relief to passengers and added that further expansion to 20 coaches will be considered in the next phase.