Vande Bharat Express: Great news for travelers heading to Goa from Bengaluru, the capital of Karnataka! Indian Railways has given the green light to extending the Mangaluru-Madgaon “Vande Bharat Express” train to Yesvantpur in Bengaluru. The train route will include stops at Hassan, Mangaluru, and Karwar, with the journey expected to last around 13 hours. Commuters in coastal areas are pleased with this decision and have requested the railway department to adjust the schedule to reduce travel time to 11 hours for their convenience.
Extension of the “Vande Bharat Express” to Yesvantpur approved
The rail connection between coastal Karnataka and Bengaluru has been significantly improved with the Union Railway Ministry’s approval to extend the ‘Vande Bharat Express’ to Yesvantpur in Bengaluru. Previously running between Mangaluru and Madgaon in Goa, the decision was communicated by Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnav in a letter to MPs representing the coastal region, including Captain Brijesh Chowta, Kota Srinivas Pujari, and Vishweshwar Hegde Kageri.
What will be the new train name?
Originally known as the Mangaluru-Madgaon ‘Vande Bharat Express’ train (numbers 20646/645) from December 2023, it will now operate as ‘Yesvantpur–Madgaon–Yesvantpur’ (train number 26655/656) via Mangaluru Junction, with a revised schedule.
Tentative Schedule and Stops
Although the official timetable has not been released by the Railways, preliminary information indicates that the train will depart from Bengaluru in the morning, reach Mangaluru in the afternoon, and arrive in Goa in the evening. Similarly, the return journey will start from Goa the following morning, reaching Bengaluru by evening.
Yesvantpur-Madgaon train (26655): Departs from Yesvantpur at 6:05 am, arriving in Madgaon at 7:15 pm.
Madgaon-Yesvantpur train (26656): Leaves Madgaon at 5:30 am, reaching Yesvantpur at 6:40 pm.
Where will the train stop?
This express service will make stops at Shravanabelagola, Hassan, Sakleshpur, Subramanya Road, Kabaka Puttur, Mangaluru Junction, Udupi, Kundapura, Byndoor, Murdeshwar, Gokarna Road, and Karwar stations.
Safety Measures and Test Runs
To navigate the steep ghat section between Sakleshpur and Subramanya Road, the train must be equipped with an automatic emergency braking system, with a maximum speed limit of 30 km/h. Two rakes, each with 8 coaches, will be utilized, featuring advanced braking systems. A successful trial run of a 16-coach train on this route was conducted on 10 September.
While coastal residents are pleased with the railway department’s decision, they are dissatisfied with the proposed timetable. Travelers find the current 13-hour journey too lengthy and believe that the full benefits of the Vande Bharat service can only be realized by reducing the travel time to at least 11 hours. They are requesting a schedule similar to the Mangaluru-Thiruvananthapuram Vande Bharat service, with the train departing from Mangaluru to Bengaluru in the morning and returning in the evening or night, benefiting numerous individuals traveling to the capital for work, business, and medical purposes.