Railways to start bookings for CoimbatoreBengaluru Vande Bharat

NT Correspondent

Bengaluru: To the relief of travellers, the Railways announced on Friday the commencement of bookings for the Coimbatore-Bengaluru Vande Bharat Express starting from February 1.

Over the past couple of weeks, passengers faced uncertainty and were unable to confirm their travel plans due to the suspension of bookings.

While rail user associations welcomed the resumption of ticket bookings, they expressed concerns about maintaining the current departure time of 5 a.m. and the six-and-a-half-hour running time to reach the destination.

Southern Railway sources indicated that there were expectations, even within official circles, that the booking freeze might be accompanied by a revision in the train's departure and arrival timings.

Senior officials of Southern Railway reportedly conveyed to the Railway Board the potential benefits of delaying the departure time by an hour.

Advocates for a schedule change point out that adopting a departure time of 6.10 a.m., similar to the CoimbatoreChennai Vande Bharat Express, could ensure full patronage for the Bengaluru-bound train.

They also propose exploring options to reduce the travel time by 15 to 20 minutes for improved efficiency.