Vanchinad Express is an intercity express train running between

Thiruvananthapuram Thiruvananthapuram (; ), also known by its former name Trivandrum (), is the capital of the Indian state of Kerala. It is the most populous city in Kerala with a population of 957,730 as of 2011. The encompassing urban agglomeration populati ...

and

Ernakulam Ernakulam () is the Central Business District of the city of Kochi in Kerala, India and has lent its name to the Ernakulam district. Many major establishments, including the Kerala High Court, the office of the Kochi Municipal Corporation a ...

in the state of

Kerala Kerala ( ; ) is a state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile regions of Cochin, Malabar, South ...

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

. It is operated by the Thiruvananthapuram division of the Southern Railway zone of the

Indian Railways Indian Railways (IR) is a statutory body under the ownership of Ministry of Railways, Government of India that operates India's national railway system. It manages the fourth largest national railway system in the world by size, with a tot ...

Etymology

Vanchinad was one of the names of the old princely state of Travancore, which actually had the shape of a ship. The train runs along most of what was once Travancore, and hence the train has been given this name.

History and relevance

The train was introduced in 1985 between

Thiruvananthapuram Central Thiruvananthapuram Central, formerly Trivandrum Central (also known as Thampanoor railway station) (station code: TVC), is a major railway station which serves the city of Thiruvananthapuram (formerly Trivandrum), capital of Kerala state, In ...

and Ernakulam Junction. During initial period the train had only 2 stops at

Kottayam Kottayam () is a municipal town in the Indian state of Kerala. Flanked by the Western Ghats on the east and the Vembanad Lake and paddy fields of Kuttanad on the west. It is the district headquarters of Kottayam district, located in south-we ...

and

Kollam Kollam (), also known by its former name Quilon , is an ancient seaport and city on the Malabar Coast of India bordering the Laccadive Sea, which is a part of the Arabian Sea. It is north of the state capital Thiruvananthapuram. The city i ...

railway stations and was one of the fastest trains running in Kerala. At that time ''Vanchinad Express'' started from Ernakulam Jn at 0600 and arrived Trivandrum Central at 0950 am. On the return run, it started at 1710 from Trivandrum Central and arrived Ernakulam Junction at 2100. The train was given a lot of additional stoppages starting in the mid 1990s due to political pressure from MLAs and MPs which resulted in increased running time of the train and revised schedule. Today, ''Vanchinad Express'' has 17 stops between Trivandrum Central and Ernakulam Junction.

Coach composition

When the train was introduced in 1985 the train had one first class compartment and the rest were second class compartments. Later an additional first class coach was added. Today the first class coaches have been removed and replaced with one AC chair car. Pantry car facility was also available in earlier times which was also withdrawn later. Today the train has 19 or 20 coaches depending on the availability of coaches with one reserved AC chair car and one reserved Second Sitting coach, for which tickets can be reserved in advance. Other second sitting coaches can be boarded with unreserved tickets issued from the counter.

Major halts

Varkala Varkala, is a major coastal municipality situated in the northern suburb of Trivandrum, capital city of the Indian state of Kerala. It is the headquarters of Varkala Taluk and important government institutions such as the taluk office, court ...

→ Paravur →

Kollam Junction Kollam Junction railway station (station code: QLN) is a junction station situated in the city of Kollam in Kerala, India. It is the second largest railway station in Kerala in terms of area and largest in terms of number of tracks and one of ...

→ Sasthamkotta →

Karunagappally Karunagappally is a municipality in the Kollam district of Kerala, India. It is 24 km north of Kollam and south of Alappuzha. Karunagappally taluk consists of Alappad, Ochira, Adinad, Karunagappally, Thazhava, Pavumba, Thodiyoor, Kallalibh ...

→ Kayamkulam Junction → Mavelikara →

Chengannur Chengannur (also spelled Chengannoor or Chenganur) is a Municipality in the Alappuzha district of Kerala State, India. It is located in the extreme eastern part of the Alappuzha district, on the banks of Pamba River. Chengannur is north of ...

→ Tiruvalla → Changanasseri →

→

Tripunithura Thrippunithura or Tripunithura (), is a prominent historical and residential region in the City of Kochi in Kerala, India. Located about 7 km (4 mi) from the city centre, Tripunithura was the capital of the erstwhile Kingdom of Cochin ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Vanchinad Express Transport in Kochi Transport in Thiruvananthapuram Named passenger trains of India Rail transport in Kerala Railway services introduced in 1985 Express trains in India

Etymology

History and relevance

Coach composition

Major halts

See also

References