Southern Railway has agreed to the long standing demand of Malabar people by extending Kannur-Bengaluru Express (16511/16512) to Kozhikode.
The train, which runs via Mangaluru, will run till Kozhikode from Sunday (March 15), bringing relief to passengers from Kozhikode and Malappuram districts.
Train No. 16511 will depart from Bengaluru at 21:35 and reach Kozhikode at 12:40 the next day. On the return journey, Train No. 16512 will leave Kozhikode at 3:30 PM and arrive Bengaluru at 6:35 AM
With the extension, the service will be renamed Kozhikode–Bengaluru Express. However, the train schedule will remain unchanged. It will continue to reach Kannur from Bengaluru at 10:55 AM. Train leaving Kozhikode arrives Kannur at 5:00 PM and departs Bengaluru at 5:05 PM
Apart from the existing stops, the train will now have stops at Thalassery, Vadakara and Koyilandy.
Sirajudheen Ellathodi, a member of the Zonal Railway Users Advisory Committee (ZRUCC), said the extension was a result of a long pending demand. He said he raised the proposal on behalf of the Calicut Chamber of Commerce and Industry in the last ZRUCC meeting.
He said the extension will improve rail connectivity between Kozhikode and Bengaluru and benefit thousands of business travelers as well as tourists.
“This will further enhance the connectivity of Kozhikode with a major commercial and IT hub,” Mr. Ellathodi said.
The Railway Board approved the extension of the train to Kozhikode despite objections from passenger groups in Karnataka. Karnataka Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao opposed the move, arguing that it would reduce seat availability for passengers from coastal Karnataka.
Passenger groups in Karnataka also claimed that Kozhikode is already well connected to Bengaluru by a daily train and a weekly service, besides additional connecting trains passing through Palakkad.
Train No. 16511/16512 originally ran between Bengaluru and Mangaluru. The service was extended to Kannur in 2009 following the intervention of former Minister of State for Railways E. Ahamed.
Published – 14 March 2026 20:01 IST
