Kerala awaits CWG train to showcase IT prowess

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Commonwealth Express train that was flagged off from Delhi in June will reach here next week and travel through the state for three days before leaving for Goa.

The Commonwealth Express is a special exhibition train designed to promote the mega event that will take place in Delhi from Oct 3-14. Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan will inaugurate the exhibition in Kerala at the Thiruvananthapuram railway station Aug 25.

The train has 11 coaches, five of which feature rare Games memorabilia and six are devoted to showcasing information technology. The Commonwealth Express that is coming from Madurai in Tamil Nadu will be here for two days.

From here, the train will move to Kollam Aug 27 and to Ernakulam the next day.

Kerala will set up stalls showcasing its ICT Information and Communication Technology (ICT) achievements.

"Indian Railways has always been promoting sports. Now by endorsing ICT through the Commonwealth Express it has taken the initiative of spreading the essence of IT to citizens who are not yet exposed to opportunities that IT generates," said Rathan Kelkar, a bureaucrat involved in various IT initiatives of the state.