Railways officials have decided to operate a Vande Bharat train in Kerala, and a rake was brought to the state.
The unexpected move is being viewed as a "political masterstroke" by the BJP to win over the people of the state in its desperate quest to open an electoral account here.
Even though a formal message has yet to be received, the news of the allocation of one Vande Bharat train to Kerala had arrived by Thursday night. The Integral Coach Factory in Chennai delivered the rake to Kerala on Friday.
BJP workers accorded a grand reception to the rake and highlighted it as the BJP government's and Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 'Vishu Kaineeetam' — a gift on the occasion of the Vishu festival — being celebrated in Kerala on Saturday.
Sources said that the PM would flag off the Vande Bharat service in Kerala this month itself, possibly on April 24, as he would be coming down to attend a youth conference. The train is likely to be operated between Thiruvananthapuram and Kannur. Even though the Vande Bharat train could run at a speed of 160 km/hr, the rail tracks in Kerala have many curves, and hence, the maximum speed possible would be 110 km/hr.
Railway spokesperson said that the launch date, schedule of the service and rates would be announced soon.
The decision to operate the Vande Bharat semi-high-speed train came close on the heels of the Kerala CPM government's attempts to launch a greenfield semi-high-speed rail titled SilverLine. It requires massive displacement of people for land acquisition, and the cost was estimated to be over Rs 1 lakh crore.
Last year, the state witnessed widespread protests against laying demarcation stones for the project. The decision of the railways to introduce the Vande Bharat train service in Kerala might make the need for another greenfield semi-high-speed rail line irrelevant. Earlier also, experts suggested that instead of going for a green field line, the curves in the existing lines should be straightened and operate high-speed trains.
The BJP has already highlighted central schemes in Kerala, including the ongoing NH widening.
Kerala minister in charge of railways V Abdurahiman said that the state did not get any official intimation regarding introducing the Vande Bharat train.