Venad Express

Venad Express

Overview
Current operator(s)	Indian Railway
Route
Start	Shoranur
Stops	29
End	Trivandrum Central
Distance travelled	327 km (203 mi)
Average journey time	7 hours 50 minutes
Service frequency	Daily
Train number(s)	16301 / 16302
On-board services
Class(es)	AC chair car, first class, second sitting
Seating arrangements	Yes
Catering facilities	Yes
Observation facilities	Large windows
Technical
Rolling stock	7
Track gauge	1,676 mm (5 ft 6 in)
Route map

The Venad Express (Malayalam: വേണാട് എക്സ്പ്രസ്സ്‌) is an express train which runs daily between Shoranur Junction and Trivandrum Central via Kottayam. It is numbered 16301 (from Shoranur Junction to Trivandrum Central) and 16302 (from Trivandrum Central to Shoranur Junction).

History

Venad Express was introduced in 1972 by Southern Railways. The train used the 1,000 mm (3 ft 3 ³⁄₈ in) metre gauge track between Trivandrum Central and Ernakulam. It was hauled by diesel engines. The train from Trivandrum Central started at 5.30 am and reached Ernakulam Junction by 9.30 am. On the return direction the train leaves Ernakulam Junction at 17:15pm and reached Trivandrum Central by 21:30 pm. In 1976 the tracks were converted to broad gauge and the broad gauge train was introduced.^[1] The train had a green livery initially. The train was later extended to Shoranur after some years and timings were also revised. Venad Express is one of the oldest daily Intercity trains in Kerala and one of the most popular trains to travel between Trivandrum, the state capital, and Ernakulam (Kochi), the most cosmopolitan city in the state. In the 1980s Indian Railways introduced double-decker coaches for the Venad Express. But railways later withdrew the double decker compartments due to operational issues.

Name

The name Venad came from an old dynasty Venad Swarupam that ruled over Quilon and Thiruvananthapuram, headquartered in Quilon(Kollam)

Frequency

This train runs daily. Train no. 16301 departs Shoranur Junction at 14:25 hrs and reaches Trivandrum Central at 22:20 hrs. Train no. 16302 departs Trivandrum Central at 05:00 hrs and reaches Shoranur Junction at 12:45 hrs. It covers a distance of 327 kilometres (203 mi) in each direction and takes 7 hours and 50 minutes.

Venad Express links the major commercial hubs in Kerala including Thrissur, Alwaye, Ernakulam, Kottayam, Tiruvalla, Kayamkulam, Kollam with Trivandrum. It is a very popular commuter train used by daily office-goers. The train is generally fully booked even during holidays.

Coach composition

The rake has 16 unreserved coaches, a second-class sitting coach, an AC chair car coach, a pantry car and 2 SLR cars making a total of 23 coaches. One unreserved and one SLR car are exclusively for ladies.

Advance reservation is available only in two compartments. Seats can be reserved through IRCTC website or from railway station. Venad Express also has a first class coach. Other coaches can be boarded with an unreserved ticket.

Rake/Coach Composition

SLR - Sitting cum Luggage Rake

UR - Unreserved

D - Second Sitting

C - AC Chair Car

PC - Pantry Car

Schedule

Train number 16301 (Shoranur Junction to Trivandrum Central)

Train number 16302 (Trivandrum Central to Shoranur Junction)

See also

• Rail transport in India
• Vanchinad Express

References

Railways in Southern India
National network / trunk lines	Howrah–Chennai main line New Delhi–Chennai main line Mumbai–Chennai line
Other lines / sections	Chennai Central–Bangalore City line Chennai Egmore–Thanjavur main line Chord Line Coimbatore–Shoranur railway line Gudivada–Bhimavaram section Gudivada–Machilipatnam branch line Guntakal–Chennai Egmore section Guntur–Macherla section Guntur–Repalle section Jolarpettai–Shoranur line Kazipet–Vijayawada section Kollam–Sengottai branch line Kollam–Thiruvananthapuram trunk line Khurda Road–Visakhapatnam section Kothavalasa–Kirandul line Manamadurai–Virudhunagar line Mysore–Bangalore railway line Mysore–Chamarajanagar branch line Nagpur–Hyderabad line Nilambur–Nanjangud rail line (Proposed) Nilambur–Shoranur railway line Nilgiri Mountain Railway Palakkad–Pollachi line Pagidipalli–Nallapadu railway line Peralam–Karaikal line Sabari railway line (Proposed) Shimoga–Talaguppa railway Shoranur–Cochin Harbour section Shoranur–Mangalore section Solapur–Guntakal section Vijayawada–Chennai section Vijayawada–Guntur section Visakhapatnam–Vijayawada section Ernakulam–Kayamkulam coastal railway line Guntakal–Vasco da Gama section Pune–Miraj–Londa line Bangalore–Arsikere–Hubli line Pamban–Dhanushkodi branch line (Defunct)
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Defunct railways	Cochin State Forest Tramway Kundala Valley Railway
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Manufacturing units / workshops / sheds	Integral Coach Factory Rail Wheel Factory Golden Rock Railway Workshop Diesel Loco Shed, Golden Rock Kollam MEMU Shed
Railway zones	South Central Railway Southern Railway South Western Railway
Railway companies	Konkan Railway Corporation Kerala Monorail Corporation East Coast State Railway Nizam's Guaranteed State Railway Hyderabad–Godavari Valley Railways Madras Railway Madras and Southern Mahratta Railway
Agitations and accidents	1928 South Indian railway strike 1932 Madras and Southern Mahratta railway strike 1974 railway strike in India 1988 Kollam Peruman train accident Nellore train fire
See also	Indian Railways Bholu (mascot) Transport in Guntur Madras Time Thiruvananthapuram–Mangalore high-speed passenger corridor Annual passenger earnings details of railway stations in Kerala
Railways in India portal