Mangaluru Central–Thiruvananthapuram Vande Bharat Express

The 20631/20632 Mangaluru Central - Thiruvananthapuram Vande Bharat Express is India's 33rd Vande Bharat Express train, connecting South Karnataka's coastal city Mangaluru with Kerala's south and state capital Thiruvananthapuram. It is the second Vande Bharat Express in Kerala as well as India's first saffron coloured semi-high speed train (replaced with White Blue Vandebharat rake of the pairing train after extension to Mangalore Central).

Mangaluru Central - Thiruvananthapuram Central Vande Bharat Express
First Saffron-Grey Mini Vande Bharat Express at Thiruvananthapuram Central departing for Kasaragod
Overview
Service type	Vande Bharat Express
Status	Active
Locale	Karnataka and Kerala
First service	25 September 2023 (2023-09-25) (Commercial run) 12 March 2024; 17 months ago (12 March 2024) (Extended run)
Current operator(s)	Southern Railways (SR)
Route
Termini	Mangaluru Central (MAQ) Thiruvananthapuram Central (TVC)
Stops	9
Distance travelled	620 km (385 mi)
Average journey time	08hrs 40mins
Service frequency	6 days a week[a]
Train number(s)	20631 / 20632
Line(s) used	Shoranur–Mangalore section Shoranur–Cochin Harbour section Ernakulam–Kayamkulam coastal line Kollam–Thiruvananthapuram trunk line
On-board services
Class(es)	AC Chair Car, AC Executive Chair Car
Seating arrangements	Airline style Rotatable seats
Sleeping arrangements	No
Catering facilities	On-board catering
Observation facilities	Large windows in all coaches
Entertainment facilities	On-board WiFi Infotainment System Electric outlets Reading light Seat Pockets Bottle Holder Tray Table
Baggage facilities	Overhead racks
Other facilities	Kavach
Technical
Rolling stock	Mini Vande Bharat 2.0 (Last service: May 20, 2025) Vande Bharat 3.0 (First service: May 22, 2025)
Track gauge	Indian gauge 1,676 mm (5 ft 6 in) broad gauge
Electrification	25 kV 50 Hz AC Overhead line
Operating speed	72 km/h (45 mph) (Avg.)
Average length	384 metres (1,260 ft) (16 coaches)
Track owner(s)	Indian Railways
Rake maintenance	Mangaluru Central, Palakkad railway division
Route map Legend 20631 ↓ Mangalore Central Karnataka Kerala border Kasaragod Kannur Kozhikode Tirur Shoranur Junction Thrissur Ernakulam Junction Alappuzha Kollam Junction 20632 ↑ Thiruvananthapuram Central

History

The first Vande Bharat train in Kerala started its service between Kasaragod and Thiruvananthapuram via Kottayam route in April 2023.^[1] With increase in patronage, there has been a strong demand by the passengers to have a second Vande Bharat between Mangalore and Thiruvananthapuram so as to increase the frequency of this route per day to three trains. This vande bharat express is the fastest train between Mangaluru Central to Thiruvananthapuram Central and vice versa

The initial service of this Vande Bharat Express train from Kasaragod to Thiruvananthapuram Central was inaugurated on 24 September 2023 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi via video conference from New Delhi.^[2] The extension of train from Kasaragod to Mangaluru was inaugurated on 12 March 2024 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi via video conference from Ahmedabad.^[3][4][5]

Overview

This train is operated by Indian Railways, connecting Mangaluru Ctrl, Kasaragod, Kannur, Kozhikode, Tirur, Shoranur Junction, Thrissur, Ernakulam Junction, Alappuzha, Kollam Junction and Thiruvananthapuram Central. It is the second Vande Bharat Express train allocated to Kerala. It is currently operated with train numbers 20631/20632.^[6][7][8]

Rakes

It is the thirty-first 2nd Generation and nineteenth Mini Vande Bharat 2.0 Express train which was designed and manufactured by the Integral Coach Factory at Perambur, Chennai under the Make in India Initiative.^[9][10] It is India's first Mini VB 2.0 Express train, running the tracks with the Saffron-Grey livery with 25 more modifications in the rakes.^[11][12] As per reports, a pairing train rake is allocated as there are a few problems in the maintenance of the train as per the current Time Table.^[13]

Switch of Rakes

After extension till Mangalore, the maintenance problem has been resolved and the Saffron Grey rakes are swapped and replaced with White Blue Vandebharat rake of the pairing train. In August 2024, the Saffron Grey rake was made to run as temporary special service along Ernakulam - SMVT Bengaluru route. As of September 2024, the first saffron colored Vande Bharat rake is moved to Howrah - Rourkela route and the Mangaluru Central–Thiruvananthapuram Vande Bharat Express is running with one and only White Blue 8 car coach.

Coach Augmentation

The 20631/20632 Mangaluru Central - Thiruvananthapuram Central Vande Bharat Express was permanently augmented with 08 more coaches and is currently running with 16-car Vande Bharat 2.0 trainset W.E.F. 22 May 2025 in order to meet the extra rush and passenger demands.^{[14][15][16][17][18]} The 16-coach trainset was earlier running as Chennai Egmore–Nagercoil Junction Vande Bharat Express, which started from the capital city of Tamil Nadu, Chennai and terminated at the Temple City of Nāgas, Nagercoil.

Service

The 20631/20632 Mangaluru Central - Thiruvananthapuram Vande Bharat Express operates six days a week except wednesday, covering a distance of 621 km (386 mi) in a travel time of 8 hrs 40 mins with an average speed of 73 km/h (45 mph). The Maximum Permissible Speed is 100 km/h (62 mph).

Gallery

• 
  3rd Rake of this Mini Vande Bharat Express train
• 
  Dual Rakes of this Mini VB Express train
• 
  This Mini Vande Bharat Express train at Kasaragod railway station and getting ready for departure towards Trivandrum Ctrl
• 
  Crowd at Kollam Junction railway station on 24 September 2023 to welcome the second Vande Bharat Express allotted to Kerala

See also

• Kasaragod–Thiruvananthapuram Vande Bharat Express
• Kannur–Thiruvananthapuram Jan Shatabdi Express
• Kozhikode–Thiruvananthapuram Jan Shatabdi Express
• Executive Express
• Mangalore Central railway station
• Thiruvananthapuram Central railway station
• Alappuzha railway station

Notes

1. Except Wednesdays