New Vande Bharat Express Train to Run Between Chennai, Kottayam From Dec 15: Check Route, Full Schedule

The new Vande Bharat trains will run from December 15 to December 25 and the Indian Railways said the special train will stop at stations including Katpadi, Salem, Palakkad and Aluva.

Vande Bharat Express Latest Update: For the convenience of the passengers, the Southern Railway has announced operating a special Vande Bharat Express train between Chennai and Kottayam to clear the rush of passengers during the ongoing Sabarimala season.

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Train No 06151 Dr MGR Chennai Central Kottayam Vande Bharat Sabari bi-weekly Special will leave from here at 04.30 hrs on Dec 15, 17, 22 and 24. It will reach Kottayam at 16.15 hrs, on the same day.

In return direction, train No. 06152 Kottayam Dr MGR Chennai Central Vande Bharat Sabari Bi-Weekly Special will leave the Kerala town at 04.40 hrs on December 16, 18, 23 and 25 and arrive here at 17.15 hrs the same day, it added. It will stop at stations including Katpadi, Salem, Palakkad and Aluva.

New Vande Bharat Train From Dec 15-25

The new Vande Bharat trains will run from December 15 to December 25 and the Indian Railways said the special train will stop at stations including Katpadi, Salem, Palakkad and Aluva.

The development comes as the Sabarimala shrine generally witnesses heavy rush of devotees during the Mandalam-Makaravilakku season, which began on November 17 this year. The Kerala government said this year, 1.20 lakh devotees are offering worship at the temple daily this year.

Arrangement For Sabarimala Festive Season

In the meantime, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said that as Sabarimala is a national pilgrimage centre, a large number of devotees from neighbouring states were also arriving to offer worship.

He further added that if an average of 62,000 people visited Sabarimala daily in the initial days of the last Mandalam pilgrimage season, the number had crossed 88,000 in the four days from December 6 in the ongoing season.

The Kerala chief minister informed that the pilgrims from neighbouring states who could not visit the shrine earlier due to the flood in Chennai and the assembly election in Telangana are now coming in large numbers. He also added that due to heavy rush of devottes, the darshan timing was extended by one hour, Vijayan said.

He said over 20,000 pilgrims came through spot booking in the last few days, and an additional 5,000 people came through the traditional forest path.

Talking about security arrangements, the chief minister said as many as 16,118 police personnel were deployed at Sabarimala during the ongoing pilgrimage season.