The Bengaluru-Mumbai Vande Bharat Sleeper is expected to begin operations later this month, with the proposed service set to reduce rail travel between SMVT Bengaluru and Mumbai CSMT to less than 16 hours, according to a Times of India report citing railway sources.
The Railway Board is expected to notify the service soon, although an official flag-off date has not yet been announced. Railway zones have reportedly been instructed to begin preparations for the train at an early and convenient date.
Under the current plan, the sleeper train will run six days a week in both directions. It could depart Sir M Visvesvaraya Terminal Bengaluru at 10 pm and arrive at Mumbai CSMT at 1:50 pm the following day. On the return journey, the train could leave Mumbai at 10:30 pm and reach Bengaluru at 2:50 pm.
The proposed timings and operating details are not final and may change before the Railway Board issues the notification. The service is expected to become the country’s second Vande Bharat sleeper train.
The train will not travel through Hubballi. The planned stoppages are Anantapur, Guntakal, Raichur, Kalaburagi, Solapur and Kalyan. These stations would connect the service to important urban centres and regional hubs along the route, while also providing access to passengers travelling between Bengaluru, northern Karnataka, Maharashtra and Mumbai.
At present, the Udyan Express is described as the only daily direct train between Bengaluru and Mumbai. It takes around 24 hours on average to complete the journey. The proposed sleeper service would therefore reduce the reported travel time by more than eight hours, subject to the final timetable and operating conditions.
A faster direct rail connection between Bengaluru and Mumbai has been a longstanding passenger demand. The two cities are major technology and financial centres, and their rail link also serves intermediate cities across Karnataka and Maharashtra. Despite repeated promises of faster connectivity, the existing journey has remained comparatively slow, according to the report.
The sleeper configuration is intended to support overnight travel while allowing passengers to arrive in the destination city during the afternoon. The planned departure and arrival windows could make the service relevant to passengers seeking an alternative to longer-duration trains and air travel, though fares, coach composition, ticketing details and the final frequency have not been announced in the supplied report.
The Railway Board’s notification and the formal flag-off announcement are the next milestones for the service. Until those details are issued, the proposed timings, stoppages and launch date remain subject to change.