Daijiworld Media Network – Bengaluru

Bengaluru, Nov 2: Karnataka is set to get its second Vande Bharat Sleeper train, with a new service connecting Bengaluru to Pune and Mumbai via Hubballi, union railway minister Ashwini Vaishnaw announced on Sunday, signalling a major expansion of premium rail connectivity for the state.

Speaking at the launch of the country's third Vande Bharat Sleeper service on the Bengaluru-Mumbai route, Vaishnaw said the next sleeper train allocated to Karnataka would originate in Bengaluru, cover important destinations across northern Karnataka through Hubballi and continue towards Pune and Mumbai.

“The next Vande Bharat Sleeper train for Karnataka will start from Bengaluru, connect all parts of northern Karnataka via Hubballi, and then proceed towards Pune and Mumbai,” the railway minister announced.

Meanwhile, Bengaluru's first Vande Bharat Sleeper service, operating between SMVT Bengaluru and Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT), Mumbai, will have eight intermediate stops: Anantapur, Guntakal, Raichur, Yadgir, Kalaburagi, Solapur, Pune and Kalyan. Two Vande Bharat Sleeper trainsets will be deployed on the Bengaluru-Mumbai-Bengaluru route.

Vande Bharat to connect Bengaluru and Mangaluru soon

In another significant announcement for Karnataka, Vaishnaw said a Vande Bharat Chair Car service connecting Bengaluru and Mangaluru would be introduced within the next few weeks, bringing faster connectivity between the state capital and the coastal region.

“Mangaluru is a very important city for us. Connectivity between Bengaluru and Mangaluru by Vande Bharat is now possible, as electrification has been completed and testing is also complete. Within the next few weeks, we will have a Vande Bharat train between Mangaluru and Bengaluru, which will connect the entire region,” he said.

The Railway Board had approved the Vande Bharat chair car service between Yeshwantpur and Madgaon via Mangaluru Junction on October 30.

The Yeshwantpur-Madgaon-Yeshwantpur Vande Bharat Express, numbered 26655/26656, will cover 12 stations along the route: Shravanabelagola, Hassan, Sakleshpura, Subrahmanya Road, Kabaka Puttur, Mangaluru Junction, Udupi, Kundapura, Mookambika Road Byndoor, Murdeshwar, Gokarna Road and Karwar.

Yeshwantpur-Madgaon Vande Bharat: schedule

Train number 26655, the Yeshwantpur-Madgaon Vande Bharat Express, will depart Yeshwantpur at 7.35 am and reach Madgaon at 8.55 pm. The service will operate six days a week, except Wednesdays.

In the return direction, train number 26656 will depart Madgaon at 8.20 am and arrive at Yeshwantpur at 9.15 pm. It will run six days a week, except Thursdays.

With the proposed sleeper and chair car services, Karnataka is set to gain additional premium rail connections linking Bengaluru with northern Karnataka, the coastal belt and major destinations in neighbouring Maharashtra.