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 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 tota ...

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 Ernakulam Junction railway station (also known as Ernakulam South, code: ERS) is the biggest railway station in the city of Kochi in Kerala, India. Controlling 376 train routes at a time, it is the busiest railway junction station in South Indi ...

. 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- ...

and Kollam 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 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 ...

at 0950 am. On the return run, it started at 1710 from

and arrived

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

and

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 →

Sasthamkotta Sasthamkotta, or Sasthamcotta, is a village in the Kunnathoor Tehsil of Kollam district in the state of Kerala, India. Kunnathoor taluk headquarters is located at Sasthamkotta. The Sasthamkotta freshwater lake is the largest freshwater lake ...

→

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, Kallal ...

→ Kayamkulam Junction →

Mavelikara Mavelikkara is a taluk and municipality in the ''Onattukara'' region of Alappuzha district in the Indian state of Kerala. Located in the southern part of the district on the banks of the Achankovil River. Etymology The name Mavelikara ...

→ Chengannur →

Tiruvalla Thiruvalla, alternately spelled Tiruvalla, is a town in Kerala and the Headquarters of the Taluk of the same name located in Pathanamthitta district in the State of Kerala, India. The town is spread over an area of . It lies on the banks of ...

→ 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