The Bengaluru–Mumbai Vande Bharat sleeper train is scheduled to begin operations with an inaugural special service on November 1, offering a proposed 16-hour connection between the two commercial centres, South Western Railway officials have told Prajavani.
The inaugural service will run as train numbers 27651/652 on Karnataka Rajyotsava Day. The regular timetable will be announced later, according to the officials. The service is expected to operate daily between Sir M Visvesvaraya Terminal (SMVT) in Bengaluru and Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) in Mumbai.
Under the proposed schedule, the train will leave CSMT at 8.10 pm and reach SMVT at 11.55 am the following day. In the reverse direction, it will depart from SMVT at 7.50 pm and arrive at CSMT at 11.55 am the next morning. The timings indicate a journey of about 16 hours in each direction.
The proposed 16-coach train is expected to stop at Dharmavaram, Anantapur, Guntakal, Raichur, Wadi, Kalaburagi, Solapur, Pune and Kalyan. The final regular schedule and operational details are yet to be issued by the railway authorities.
The service follows years of demand for a faster overnight rail connection between Bengaluru and Mumbai. The two cities are currently linked by the Udyan Express, which takes about 24 hours and is not classified as a superfast train. The proposed Vande Bharat sleeper service would reduce the journey time by around eight hours compared with that service.
Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw had said last year that a Vande Bharat superfast train would be introduced between the cities. In April, he wrote to Bengaluru Central MP P.C. Mohan stating that approval had been given for a new Vande Bharat sleeper service between KSR Bengaluru and CSMT.
However, passengers were disappointed when a Bengaluru–Mumbai Express operating twice a week was introduced in May instead of the proposed Vande Bharat sleeper train. Some passengers criticised that service as being slower than expected. The new daily service is expected to provide a more convenient option for people travelling between the two major business and commercial centres.
The proposed terminal arrangement has also raised a connectivity concern within Bengaluru. The inaugural train will run from KSR Bengaluru to Mumbai, but the regular service is currently expected to begin from SMVT. Railway activist K.N. Krishnaprasad said the train should continue from KSR Bengaluru, or at least from Yeshwanthpur, to improve access for residents of north and central Bengaluru. The regular terminal decision and timetable remain to be formally announced by the railway authorities.
