Workers clean the Kacheguda-Yeshwantpur Vande Bharat Express during the '14-Minute Miracle' initiative on Sunday.
Credit: SWR
The South Western Railway (SWR) on Sunday launched what it called an intensive and super quick way of cleaning the Vande Bharat Express.
The SWR's Bengaluru division undertook the '14-Minute Miracle' initiative to ensure a fast turnaround for the semi high-speed train.
The Kacheguda-Yeshwantpur Vande Bharat Express (train number 20703), which pulled into its destination 20 minutes ahead of schedule, was cleaned in just 13 minutes and made ready for its return journey.
The regular method requires 40-45 minutes, according to a railway official.
Speaking on the occasion, Bengaluru Divisional Railway Manager, Yogesh Mohan, emphasised the need for faster boarding and deboarding of passengers of Vande Bharat trains. The '14-Minute Miracle' was first launched by the Northern Railway and extended to other railway zones, he added.
This apart, the Bengaluru division organised cleaning activities in more than 300 locations as part of the 'Ek Tareekh Ek Ghanta Ek Saath' call on the eve of Gandhi Jayanti.
Mohan and more than 100 railway officers, staff, BBMP personnel and citizens undertook cleaning activities on Gubbi Thotadappa Road outside the KSR Bengaluru railway station.
Special train to Kerala
The railways will run a special train between Kochuveli and SMVT Bengaluru to clear the extra rush of passengers.
Train number 06083 will depart from Kochuveli at 6.05 pm on October 3 and 10 and arrive at SMVT Bengaluru at 10.55 am the next day.
In the return direction, train number 06084 will leave SMVT Bengaluru at 12.45 pm on October 4 and 11 and reach its destination at 6.45 am the next day.
The train will stop at Kollam, Kayamkulam, Mavelikara, Chengannur, Tiruvalla, Changanassery, Kottayam, Ernakulam Town, Aluva, Thrissur, Palakkad, Podanur, Tiruppur, Erode, Salem, Bangarpet, and KR Puram stations in both directions, a railway statement said.