"Cheaper, more eco-friendly replacement for Silverline?" As Kerala prepares to receive the inaugural Vande Bharat Express, Tharoor posts an old tweet.

Shashi Tharoor, a senior Congress leader from Thiruvananthapuram, expressed his delight at the news after Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw announced on Tuesday that Prime Minister Narendra Modi would launch Kerala's first Vande Bharat Express on April 25. In a previous post from last year, he had mocked the Kerala government's Silverline project and suggested that the Vande Bharat trains could replace it.

I'm thinking back to my tweets from 14 months ago asking that #VandeBharat trains in Kerala. I'm happy to see @AshwiniVaishnaw doing just that. It will be exciting to witness @narendramodi flag off the first train from Thiruvananthapuram on April 25. Progress must transcend politics, Tharoor wrote in a tweet on Wednesday.

A news story regarding Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman saying that 400 new Vande Bharat express trains will be introduced in the nation over the course of the following three years was shared by the Congress politician in February of last year. He had tweeted at the time, "One interesting element for Kerala in #Budget2022 is the announcement of 400 new #VandeBharat trains, which can travel at 180kmph."

Could GoI and GoK perceive this as a cheaper and more energy-efficient option for the Kerala government's Silverline project? Tharoor said. @CMOKerala.”

"Bringing #VandeBharat trains to Kerala might allay @INCKerala's worries about land acquisition and environmental effect and meet @vijayanpinarayi's need for quick rail travel to boost development. In the best interests of the state, GOI&GOK ought to talk about a win-win solution," he said.

In contrast to earlier intentions to operate it between Thiruvananthapuram and Kannur, Ashwini Vaishnaw reported on Tuesday that Kerala's maiden Vande Bharat Express had been extended to Kasaragod. The minister also said that Kerala's railway tracks will be upgraded twice.

The whole route from Kasaragod to Thiruvananthapuram would be upgraded to a 110 kmph speed potential under Phase I, at a budget of Rs 381 crore. He predicted that it would be finished in just over two years. The second phase, which will take two to three and a half years to complete and entail straightening the corners and other required improvements, will involve raising the track's maximum speed to 130 kmph.