Bengaluru: Helping passengers tackle the Onam travel rush, Southern Railway (SR) has doubled the coaches on the KSR Bengaluru-Ernakulam Junction Vande Bharat Express. From Monday, the train will run with 16 coaches in both directions, six days a week.Passengers travelling to Kerala from Bengaluru had been demanding increased capacity for months. Till Sunday, the train operated with just eight coaches despite strong demand and long waiting lists.Train Nos. 26651/26652 will now accommodate more passengers between KSR Bengaluru and Ernakulam. South Western Railway (SWR) said the augmentation will double the train’s capacity from eight to 16 coaches, improving travel convenience on the Bengaluru-Kerala route.The Vande Bharat is the most popular such service from Bengaluru, but its limited capacity led to heavy waiting lists. With Onam beginning next week, tickets had sold out nearly two months in advance.According to SWR data, the KSR Bengaluru service recorded the highest booking rate among Vande Bharat trains in Karnataka at 141% in 2025-26. Since its launch in Nov 2025, it has carried over 90,000 passengers and earned the railways Rs 11.1 crore.Reji Kumar, general secretary, Kerala Samajam Bangalore, said the demand for more coaches had been raised since the beginning of the year. “We welcome this move from the ministry as it will be very helpful for the huge Malayali community living in Bengaluru to reach their homes for Onam. It was very difficult to get tickets earlier; now the situation might be eased,” he said.
