Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to flag off three Amrit Bharat Express trains on 23 January during his visit to Thiruvananthapuram, according to an official release issued on Wednesday.
The Amrit Bharat Express services to be launched include the Nagercoil-Mangaluru, Thiruvananthapuram-Tambaram, and Thiruvananthapuram-Charlapalli routes. In addition, a new passenger train service between Thrissur and Guruvayur will also be flagged off. The new services are aimed at strengthening long-distance and regional rail connectivity across Kerala and neighbouring states.
The upcoming launch is expected to improve rail links between Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, making travel more affordable, safer and time-efficient. Officials said the enhanced connectivity could provide momentum to tourism, trade, education and employment across the southern region.
Rail projects form a central part of the Prime Minister’s engagements in Kerala on 23 January. During the visit, he is also scheduled to lay foundation stones and inaugurate projects across urban livelihoods, science and innovation, citizen-centric services and healthcare sectors in Thiruvananthapuram.
Among other announcements, the Prime Minister will launch the PM SVANidhi Credit Card and disburse PM SVANidhi loans to one lakh beneficiaries. He will also lay the foundation stone for the CSIR-NIIST Innovation, Technology and Entrepreneurship Hub and a new radiosurgery centre at the Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology.
