The new Bengaluru-Goa Vande Bharat Express will begin regular service on November 15, creating a direct rail connection between Yesvantpur, coastal Karnataka and Madgaon, South Western Railway said. Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagged off the chair car service on Friday, with Karnataka Chief Minister DK Shivakumar present at the event.
The Yesvantpur-Madgaon service is intended to improve connectivity between Bengaluru, Mangaluru and Goa while operating on an electrified route. The service will link Bengaluru with a chain of coastal and tourism-oriented destinations, including Hassan, Sakleshpur, Subrahmanya Road, Mangaluru, Udupi, Kundapura, Murdeshwar, Gokarna and Karwar.
Two special inaugural services will operate on November 13 before regular operations begin. Train No. 26655 will leave Yesvantpur Junction at 7.35 am and arrive at Madgaon at 8.55 pm, covering the journey in 13 hours and 20 minutes. It will run six days a week, except Wednesdays.
In the return direction, Train No. 26656 will depart from Madgaon at 8.20 am and reach Yesvantpur Junction at 9.15 pm. The return journey will take 12 hours and 55 minutes, with services running six days a week except Thursdays.
The train will stop at Shravanabelagola, Hassan, Sakleshpur, Subrahmanya Road, Kabakaputtur, Mangaluru Junction, Udupi, Kundapura, Mookambika Road Byndoor, Murdeshwar, Gokarna Road and Karwar. In the return direction, the listed stops will be served in the reverse sequence, beginning with Karwar and ending at Shravanabelagola.
Both services will comprise 16 coaches. The train is an all-air-conditioned chair car service equipped with European-style seats, fully sealed gangways, aircraft-style bio-vacuum toilets, regenerative braking, wide luggage racks and fully automatic doors.
The timetable places the train on a long-distance route connecting Bengaluru’s urban passenger base with coastal Karnataka towns and Goa’s Madgaon terminus. The intermediate stops also provide direct access to destinations that currently form part of a wider regional travel network, including Mangaluru, Udupi, Gokarna and Karwar.
Railway Board Chairman Satish Kumar, speaking to ANI, said the service would provide a direct rail connection between Bengaluru and Goa, describing it as an addition for Karnataka residents and other travellers. He also said the route’s landscape would form part of the journey experience and linked the service to ongoing infrastructure development by Indian Railways.
The service’s regular operation will begin on November 15, with the two inaugural services preceding the scheduled timetable. South Western Railway has listed Wednesdays as the non-operating day for the outward service and Thursdays for the return service.
