WATCH: PM Modi flags off Kerala's first Vande Bharat Express

Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagged off Kerala's first Vande Bharat Express train from Thiruvananthapuram Central Station on Tuesday.

PM Modi then interacted with school students and children onboard the Vande Bharat train.

The video of the Prime Minister interacting with students also surfaced online. The children showed PM Modi paintings and sketches of him and the Vande Bharat train made by them.

During the launch, hundreds of people also gathered on the opposite side platform to see the prime minister.

The Vande Bharat train will cover 11 districts namely Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Kottayam, Ernakulam, Thrissur, Palakkad, Pathanamthitta, Malappuram, Kozhikode, Kannur and Kasaragod.

The new Vande Bharat train has state-of-the-art passenger amenities, providing passengers with a faster, more comfortable and more convenient travel experience.

The prime minister also laid foundation stones for India's first Digital Science Park coming up at the Technocity campus.

Digital Science Park is envisaged as a key research facility to develop digital products and services by industry and business units in collaboration with academia.

The total project outlay has been estimated at around Rs 1,515 crore.

Earlier, PM Modi was given a grand reception by BJP leaders and workers on his arrival at the Thiruvananthapuram airport here.

PM Modi's six km journey from the airport to the railway station was akin to a road show with the PM standing on the footboard of his vehicle and waving to the people on the roadside as they showered him with flowers.

with PTI inputs