New Vande Bharat Express to connect Bengaluru and Goa
The Railway Board has approved a six-day-a-week service via Mangaluru Junction that will pass through the Western Ghats.
The Railway Board approved the introduction of the Yesvantpur-Madgaon-Yesvantpur Vande Bharat Express on October 30. The new chair car service will run via Mangaluru Junction, connecting several destinations across Karnataka's interior and coastal regions.
Train number 26655 will depart from Yesvantpur at 7:35 am and reach Madgaon at 8:55 pm, a journey of approximately 13 hours and 20 minutes. This service will operate six days a week, except Wednesdays.
On the return journey, train number 26656 will leave Madgaon at 8:20 am and arrive at Yesvantpur at 9:15 pm. The return trip is scheduled to take around 12 hours and 55 minutes and will run six days a week, except Thursdays.
The route includes 12 intermediate stops: Shravanabelagola, Hassan, Sakleshpur, Subrahmanya Road, Kabaka Puttur, Mangaluru Junction, Udupi, Kundapura, Mookambika Road Byndoor, Murdeshwar, Gokarna Road, and Karwar. The train will also halt at Thokur in the Yesvantpur-Madgaon direction.
The service will pass through the Western Ghats, specifically the Sakleshpur–Subrahmanya Road section. The Railway Board has also permitted the discontinuation of the existing Madgaon-Mangaluru Central Vande Bharat Express, numbers 20645 and 20646, citing low passenger patronage.
While the timetable and service have been sanctioned, officials have not yet announced the commencement date or the fare structure for the new service.