New Delhi: Railway officials have announced that South Western Railway (SWR) will launch two ‘Vande Bharat’ sleeper trains to operate on the Bengaluru-Mumbai route.
Following testing and inspection, SWR has prepared two 16-coach Vande Bharat sleeper trains for service. These trains will operate as overnight services from both Bengaluru and Mumbai. The journey will take approximately 16 hours, effectively reducing the travel time between the two cities by about eight hours compared to other trains, which take around 24 hours.
The Karnataka-headquartered railway zone received these two 16-coach trains, which were manufactured by BEML in Bengaluru under the supervision of Chennai’s Integral Coach Factory (ICF). Extensive testing and inspections were conducted on the trains prior to their launch. Ashutosh Kumar Singh, the Divisional Railway Manager (DRM) for Bengaluru, shared details with the Deccan Herald newspaper, stating, “We are preparing for the launch, and details regarding the timetable will be announced soon.”
Launch Date
A trial run will soon be conducted on the approved route to determine the exact travel time and to facilitate speed trials by the Research Designs and Standards Organisation (RDSO). Parikshit Mohanpuria, Additional Divisional Railway Manager (Operations) for Bengaluru, mentioned that officials are considering two potential starting points in Bengaluru. He noted that the train is expected to run overnight from both Bengaluru and Mumbai, covering the distance in approximately 16 hours. Singh added, “The fare will be significantly lower than airfares. We are confident that this service will be a success.”
Fares and Routes
This train will feature eleven 3AC coaches, four 2AC coaches, and one 1AC coach. The fare for 3AC is expected to be around Rs 3,000, inclusive of onboard meals. The train will traverse the Kalyana Karnataka region, fulfilling a long-standing demand for faster rail connectivity between Bengaluru and Mumbai. Existing special trains, such as the Udyan Express and the SMVT Bengaluru-LTT Mumbai Express, take approximately 24 hours for the journey.
The proposed route includes Raichur, Yadgir, and Kalaburagi. Spanning 1,137 km, the route is fully electrified and double-tracked, allowing for speeds of up to 130 km/h on most sections. Officials have identified this as the optimal route for the KSR Bengaluru-CSMT Mumbai service, although the South Western Railway (SWR) is still considering designating SMVT Bengaluru as the originating station. Primary maintenance of the train’s coaches (rakes) will be carried out at either KSR Bengaluru or SMVT Bengaluru.