South Western Railway has announced a one-trip Diwali special train service between Yeshwantpur, Madgaon and Bengaluru Cantonment to manage the expected festival travel rush. The service will operate on November 6 and November 8, with stops across Karnataka’s Hassan, coastal and Uttara Kannada regions, as well as Goa.
Train 06591, the Yeshwantpur–Madgaon Special Express, will depart from Yeshwantpur at 11.55 pm on Friday, November 6, and reach Madgaon at 6.10 pm the following day. On its return journey, train 06592, the Madgaon–Bengaluru Cantonment Special Express, will leave Madgaon at 11 am on Sunday, November 8, and arrive at Bengaluru Cantonment at 5.20 am the next day.
The service will stop at Kunigal, Channarayapatna, Hassan, Sakleshpur, Subrahmanya Road, Kabakaputtur, Bantwal, Mangaluru Junction, Surathkal, Mulki, Udupi, Barkur, Kundapura, Byndoor, Bhatkal, Murdeshwar, Honnavar, Kumta, Gokarna Road, Ankola, Karwar and Canacona. These stops connect Bengaluru with several important towns along the Hassan–Mangaluru and coastal railway routes before the train reaches Madgaon.
The return train, numbered 06592, will not stop at Yeshwantpur. It will, however, have a halt at Sir M. Visvesvaraya Terminal Bengaluru, also known as SMVT Bengaluru, according to the railway announcement. Passengers travelling back to Bengaluru will therefore need to note the different terminal arrangement from the outbound service.
The special train will have 19 coaches. Its composition will include air-conditioned coaches, sleeper-class coaches, general-class coaches, a luggage-cum-brake van and a coach reserved for passengers with disabilities. The combination is intended to serve passengers travelling under different fare and seating requirements during the festival period.
The announcement comes as rail demand typically rises around Diwali, when passengers travel between Bengaluru, coastal Karnataka, northern Karnataka and Goa. A one-trip service provides an additional rail option on a route that connects the state capital with major towns and smaller coastal stations. The notified stops also allow passengers from towns such as Udupi, Kundapura, Bhatkal, Kumta and Karwar to access a direct festival-period service towards Bengaluru or Madgaon.
South Western Railway said the special service was being arranged to manage passenger congestion during the Diwali period. The railway’s stated operating plan is limited to the two notified journeys: the outbound service from Yeshwantpur on November 6 and the return service from Madgaon to Bengaluru Cantonment on November 8.
