Karnataka’s power transmission network is ready to support the Bengaluru–Mangaluru–Madgaon Vande Bharat Express through the newly electrified Sakaleshpur–Subrahmanya Road section of the Western Ghats, ahead of its scheduled flag-off in Bengaluru on Friday. The infrastructure has been developed by the Karnataka Power Transmission Corporation Limited (KPTCL) to provide reliable traction power across one of the most difficult railway stretches in the state.
The section passes through steep gradients and terrain vulnerable to landslides, while heavy monsoon rainfall and limited access complicated the construction and commissioning work. The Vande Bharat service will be the first semi-high-speed train to operate through this newly electrified stretch, marking a new stage in rail connectivity between Bengaluru and coastal Karnataka.
Karnataka Energy Minister KJ George said the state had prioritised the transmission infrastructure required for uninterrupted electric train operations. According to senior officials from the Karnataka Energy Department, George held a series of review meetings and coordinated with KPTCL, railway authorities and other officials to accelerate the work within the required timelines.
“Building transmission infrastructure through the Western Ghats was no ordinary engineering assignment. Steep gradients, inaccessible terrain, heavy rainfall and complex geographical conditions posed formidable obstacles,” George said. He added that KPTCL engineers and technical personnel had established transmission connectivity, strengthened the grid and put power-supply systems in place for the railway operations.
The project involves supplying power to 12 Railway Traction Substations through 12 KPTCL substations. The associated works include new overhead transmission lines, underground cables, loop-in-loop-out connectivity and switching stations. Transformer capacity was also augmented at upstream substations to support the traction-power requirement.
The arrangement illustrates the additional infrastructure needed to extend electric rail services through difficult terrain. Railway electrification alone does not complete the operating chain: traction substations, upstream grid connections, switching equipment and sufficient transformer capacity must also be available to supply trains reliably along the route. In this case, the transmission work had to be coordinated with railway requirements across the ghat section.
KPTCL Managing Director V. Ram Prasath Manohar conducted a preparedness review before the launch and directed officials to ensure that the associated substations and transmission systems were operational. He said the infrastructure had been developed in phases and that technical personnel would be stationed at key KPTCL substations and connection points for 24-hour monitoring during Vande Bharat operations.
The new service is expected by the state government to improve travel between Bengaluru and coastal Karnataka and support tourism, hospitality and local economic activity in destinations including Mangaluru, Udupi, Murudeshwar and Gokarna. The immediate operational milestone, however, is the scheduled flag-off and the commencement of train services over the newly electrified Sakaleshpur–Subrahmanya Road section.
KPTCL’s next step is to maintain round-the-clock technical monitoring at the substations and connection points supporting the service, while railway and state authorities proceed with the scheduled launch.
