Prime Minister Narendra Modi will launch the first Vande Bharat Express between Thiruvananthapuram and Kasargod at Thiruvananthapuram Central Station on Tuesday.
The Vande Bharat train will travel through 11 districts, including Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Kottayam, Ernakulam, Thrissur, Palakkad, Pathanamthitta, Malappuram, Kozhikode, Kannur, and Kasargod, according to the Prime Minister’s Office. Vande Bharat Express is a self-propelled, semi-high-speed train set manufactured in India. The train is outfitted with cutting-edge passenger amenities, allowing passengers to travel faster, more comfortably, more conveniently. On 25 April, Prime Minister Modi will visit Kerala and lay the foundation stone for several projects totaling more than Rs 3,200 crore.
The Prime Minister will dedicate the Kochi Water Metro, a one-of-a-kind project that connects ten islands around Kochi with the city through battery-powered electric hybrid boats.
Apart from the Kochi Water Metro, the Prime Minister will dedicate the train electrification of the Dindigul-Palani-Palakkad stretch. During the event, PM Modi will also lay the groundwork for a number of rail projects, including the redevelopment of Thiruvananthapuram, Kozhikode, and Varkala Sivagiri railway stations, as well as the comprehensive development of the Thiruvananthapuram area, including Nemon and Kochuveli, and the increase in sectional speed of the Thiruvananthapuram-Shoranur section.
The Prime Minister will also lay the groundwork for the Digital Science Park in Thiruvananthapuram.The Digital Science Park is envisioned as a vital research site for industry and business units to collaborate with academia to develop digital products and services. According to the PMO statement, the Digital Science Park, as a third generation Science Park, will have shared facilities to facilitate the development of products in the domain of Industry 4.0 Technologies such as AI, Data Analytics, Cyber Security, and Smart Materials, among others.
The cutting-edge basic infrastructure will enable high-end applied research by companies and product co-development in collaboration with universities. The initial investment for Phase-1 of the project is projected to be around Rs 200 crore, with a total project cost of around Rs 1,515 crore.