Overview
- Train No. 26651 will depart KSR Bengaluru at 5:10 a.m. and arrive at Ernakulam Junction at 1:50 p.m., with return Train No. 26652 leaving Ernakulam at 2:20 p.m. and reaching Bengaluru at 11:00 p.m.
- The route runs via Krishnarajapuram, Salem, Erode, Tiruppur, Coimbatore, Palakkad and Thrissur, as specified by the Railway Board.
- Operations are scheduled six days a week with Wednesday as the non-running day, according to the approved plan.
- Southern Railway and South Western Railway have been told to introduce the service at the earliest, with permission granted for an inaugural special run if required.
- This will be Kerala’s third Vande Bharat service, and industry groups in Coimbatore say the timetable promises faster links, citing about 5.5 hours to Bengaluru and 3 hours to Ernakulam as their estimates; media report a likely mid-November start that the zones have not confirmed.