Indian Railways News: The Yeshwantpur-Mangaluru-Madgaon Vande Bharat Express is expected to be launched on November 13, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw likely to flag
off the inaugural services simultaneously from Bengaluru and Mangaluru. The launch is expected to coincide with the inauguration of Bengaluru’s Namma Metro Pink Line.
Bengaluru and the coastal Karnataka region are set to receive a major rail connectivity boost, with the extended Yeshwantpur-Mangaluru-Madgaon Vande Bharat Express likely to begin operations on November 13.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to flag off the inaugural service from Bengaluru, while Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw is likely to launch the corresponding service from Mangaluru Junction at around 2.30 pm, according to sources in South Western Railway (SWR).
The inaugural up and down services are expected to operate simultaneously, with one train heading towards Mangaluru and the other towards Bengaluru. The service will connect Bengaluru with coastal Karnataka and Madgaon in Goa.
PM Modi To Inaugurate Namma Metro Pink Line In Bengaluru
The proposed launch will coincide with Prime Minister Modi’s visit to Bengaluru, where he is scheduled to dedicate the 7.5-km Namma Metro Pink Line stretch between Kalena Agrahara and Tavarekere along Bannerghatta Road.
The inauguration was announced earlier by Greater Bengaluru Development Minister Krishna Byre Gowda.
During the visit, the Prime Minister is also expected to remotely flag off the Bengaluru-Goa Vande Bharat Express. The service will originate from Sir M Visvesvaraya Terminal (SMVT Bengaluru), sources in South Western Railway told The Hindu.
Ashwini Vaishnaw To Launch Coastal Vande Bharat From Mangaluru
Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw is expected to flag off the new coastal Vande Bharat service from Mangaluru Junction at approximately 2.30 pm on November 13.
The launch follows his earlier assurance to Members of Parliament representing the coastal region that a Vande Bharat service would be introduced to improve connectivity between Bengaluru, Mangaluru and Goa.
According to railway sources, regular operations could begin within a day or two of the inaugural run. The regular service will operate from Yeshwantpur rather than Sir M Visvesvaraya Terminal in Bengaluru.
Two trainsets, or rakes, required to operate the service have already been kept ready, sources said.
Vande Bharat Service Extended From Mangaluru-Madgaon Route
On September 29, Ashwini Vaishnaw announced that the existing Mangaluru Central-Madgaon-Mangaluru Central Vande Bharat Express would be extended to Yeshwantpur.
The extended service will operate as Train Nos. 26655 and 26656, replacing the existing Mangaluru Central-Madgaon-Mangaluru Central service, which runs as Train Nos. 20646 and 20645.
The Railway Ministry released the timetable for the extended service on October 30. It had indicated that the service would commence on an early convenient date, while the Mangaluru-Madgaon-Mangaluru Vande Bharat service would have a ‘no booking’ date during the transition.
Bengaluru-Madgaon Vande Bharat To Have 12 Intermediate Halts
The Yeshwantpur-Madgaon Vande Bharat Express will have 12 intermediate stops, excluding its originating and terminating stations.
The stops will be:
- Shravanabelagola
- Hassan
- Sakleshpur
- Subrahmanya Road
- Kabaka Puttur
- Mangaluru Junction
- Udupi
- Kundapura
- Byndoor
- Murdeshwar
- Gokarna Road
- Karwar
The route will connect several important towns across Karnataka’s hinterland and coastal belt before entering Goa.
Yeshwantpur-Madgaon Vande Bharat Timings
As per the timetable released by the Railway Ministry, the Yeshwantpur-Madgaon service will depart Yeshwantpur at 7.35 am and reach Madgaon at 8.55 pm. The train will not operate on Wednesdays.
In the return direction, the Madgaon-Yeshwantpur service will leave Madgaon at 8.20 am and arrive at Yeshwantpur at 9.15 pm. This service will not operate on Thursdays.
The published timetable gives the journey durations as 13 hours and 20 minutes from Yeshwantpur to Madgaon and around 13 hours in the return direction.
With the launch expected on November 13, the new service is set to strengthen rail connectivity between Bengaluru, the coastal districts of Karnataka and Goa.
