Prime Minister Narendra Modi will flag off Kerala’s first Vande Bharat semi-high-speed train service at Thiruvananthapuram Railway Station on April 25.
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The BJP is also planning a high-decibel roadshow for Mr. Modi in Kochi on April 24, where he is also scheduled to attend a party-sponsored interaction with youth.
Also read |Overwhelming response to Coimbatore-Chennai Vande Bharat express
Two trains
The Vande Bharat has 16 modern coaches. Kerala will likely get two such modern trains to ensure uninterrupted service and negate the need for quick turnarounds,
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Railway authorities will conduct trial runs on the Thiruvananthapuram-Kannur stretch on April 22. Track augmentation and modernisation of the signalling system for the new service are nearing completion.
Given the meandering and undulating nature of railway tracks in Kerala, Vande Bharat will likely limit its top speed to 110 km per hour. The railways said the train could travel up to 180 km per hour.
Exploiting the Vande Bharat momentum
The BJP is positioning the Vande Bharat service as the Centre’s emphatic answer to the Left Democratic Front government’s ambitious but “unsuccessful” semi-high-speed Silverline (K-Rail) project.
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Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) national executive member and chairperson of the Indian Railway Passengers Amenities Committee, P. K. Krishnadas, hailed the development as a “Vishu gift for Keralites” from Mr. Modi.
BJP workers congregated in strength at the Olavakode railway station in the Palakkad district to welcome the train as it entered Kerala from Tamil Nadu.
The party is planning similar receptions in other railway stations in the State as the train makes its way from Olavakode to the Veli Railway station in Thiruvananthapuram.
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Eyes on 2024 Lok Sabha poll
The BJP calculates that the Vande Bharat will accord it an early-bird advantage in Kerala’s 2024 Lok Sabha campaign.
The BJP also hopes to tap into Mr. Modi’s popularity, which it reckons far outstrips the party’s public standing in Kerala.
BJP State President K. Surendran said the development had silenced criticism that the Centre ignored Kerala’s railway development. He said Mr. Modi’s leadership would unify voters around a more positive vision for Kerala’s future.
The Vande Bharat flag-off comes close on the heels of the BJP’s bid to woo minority votes in Kerala. BJP leaders will host parishioners and clergy at their homes and offices on Vishu Day.
The outreach is a follow-up to BJP’s Easter Day tack of calling on Church leaders. BJP leaders will also participate in Ramzan-related community events later in the month.