Vande Bharat vs Silverline: In race to high-speed train service in Kerala, BJP books an early berth

Delighted to welcome #VandeBharat at Kochuveli Railway Station

Grateful to Hon’ble PM Shri @narendramodi Ji for the #Vishu Gift to people of Kerala#VandeBharat – best way to ensure faster & safer passenger travel

It is Pride of India – A jewel in the crown of Indian Railways pic.twitter.com/SovKcDE6FX

— V Muraleedharan / വി മുരളീധരൻ (@VMBJP) April 14, 2023

While the flagging off of the first train is still some days off – to be done by Modi himself — BJP workers were there to welcome the rakes at several halts along the way on Friday, calling it a gift from the PM for the state and an example of his commitment to Kerala’s welfare.

With the BJP having stepped up its activities in Kerala ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, including Easter and Eid initiatives to reach out to the minorities, the LDF was left fuming – and steaming. Not the least because the Vande Bharat is set to steal a march over the LDF government’s own semi-high-speed Silverline project, which it has pushed through despite widespread protests on the ground.

Both the projects are intra-state. The Vande Bharat is expected to run between Thiruvananthapuram and Kannur.

As the rakes arrived in Thiruvananthapuram Friday, leading the welcome party was senior BJP leader and Union Minister of State V Muraleedharan.

The Left asked why its government had been kept in the dark on the arrival of the Vande Bharat rakes. In fact, as late as Friday, Kerala Minister V Abdurahiman, who holds the portfolio of Railways in the state, said the government had received no official communication about the start of a Vande Bharat train service in the state.

V K Sanoj, the state secretary of the DYFI – the CPI(M)’s youth outfit – said they welcomed the Vande Bharat too as Kerala’s right. However, Sanoj said, what was objectionable was the BJP projecting it as a mega event, and as an end in itself. He added: “The allotment of a modern train service is a matter of happiness, but that would not bring any relief to the state’s rail travel woes. Given the state’s meandering railway tracks, high-speed trains cannot be operated here. So, any train, including the Vande Bharat, can be operated on the existing tracks only at a slow speed.”

Sanoj added that this would remain the case until a “parallel rail system (read Silverline)” is laid.

Left leaders also suggested that Silverline would be more affordable than Vande Bharat.

BJP state president K Surendran accused the Left of running a “campaign” against the allotment of the Vande Bharat service in Kerala. “The Chief Minister and other leaders were claiming that Vande Bharat would never come to Kerala. They should understand that the BJP’s politics is about development. Now it is definite that the Silverline project, which would have pushed the state into a major debt trap and caused massive damage to the environment, will not happen. The arrival of the Vande Bharat has heralded the end of Silverline, which would have also seen massive corruption. That is why DYFI leaders are against the Vande Bharat service,’’ Surendran said.

After PM Modi recently launched the Delhi-Jaipur-Ajmer line, there are now 15 Vande Bharat trains running in the country.