Prime Minister Narendra Modi interacted with students onboard the Vande Bharat Express train in Kerala after flagging off the state’s first train from Thiruvananthapuram Central Station on April 25. The Prime Minister engaged with the students and viewed their paintings during the interaction. He also signed some of the drawings, making the moment memorable for the students.
The Vande Bharat Express is a high-speed train that will run between Thiruvananthapuram and Kasargod, covering 11 regions in between. The train is natively produced, semi-fast, and self-moved, and boasts cutting-edge amenities for passengers, making travel faster, more comfortable, and more convenient.
During his visit to Kerala, Prime Minister Modi inaugurated several projects worth more than Rs 3,200 crore, including the Kochi Water Metro, the first of its kind in the country. The project, completed at a cost of Rs 1,137 crore, has been financed by the German Bank, KFW. The Cochin Shipyard Limited is the manufacturer of the project. The water metro will connect 10 islands in and around Kochi through a network of routes that span 78 km and 15 identified routes. More than 1,00,000 islanders are expected to benefit from the water metro.
Apart from inaugurating the Kochi Water Metro, the Prime Minister also dedicated the rail electrification of the Dindigul-Palani-Palakkad section. He also laid the foundation of different rail projects, including the redevelopment of Thiruvananthapuram, Kozhikode, and Varkala Sivagiri rail line stations, the extensive improvement of the Thiruvananthapuram region, including Nemon and Kochuveli, and an increase in the sectional speed of the Thiruvananthapuram-Shoranur section.
Furthermore, the Prime Minister also laid the foundation stone of the Digital Science Park in Thiruvananthapuram. The Digital Science Park is a major research facility for the development of digital products and services by business and industry units working with academic institutions. The park will house common facilities as a third-generation Science Park to support the development of products based on Industry 4.0 technologies like AI, Data Analytics, Cyber Security, and Smart Materials.
Prime Minister Modi’s visit to Kerala was marked by a series of projects aimed at improving the state’s infrastructure, connectivity, and technological development. The inauguration of the Vande Bharat Express and the Kochi Water Metro, along with the dedication of rail electrification and the foundation stone of the Digital Science Park, represents a significant step towards making Kerala more modern, sustainable, and globally competitive.