Bengaluru-Goa Vande Bharat Express to begin regular services on November 15
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to flag off the new train service on November 13 via Mangaluru.
The Vande Bharat Express service between Bengaluru and Madgaon in Goa, via Mangaluru, is scheduled to begin regular operations on November 15, according to Moneycontrol. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to flag off the train on November 13 from the Indian Institute of Management-Bangalore on Bannerghatta Road.
The Hindu reported that Prime Minister Modi and Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw are likely to flag off the service from Bengaluru and Mangaluru Junction simultaneously. The inaugural service, numbered 06512, will depart from Sir M Visvesvaraya Terminal (SMVT) at 1.30 pm and reach Madgaon at 2.55 am the following day.
The regular 16-coach chair-car service will operate between Yeshwantpur Junction and Madgaon. Train number 26655 will depart Yeshwantpur at 7.35 am and arrive in Madgaon at 8.55 pm, running six days a week except Wednesdays. The return service, train number 26656, will depart Madgaon at 8.20 am and reach Yeshwantpur at 9.15 pm, operating six days a week except Thursdays.
The train will halt at 12 stations, including Shravanabelagola, Hassan, Sakleshpur, Subrahmanya Road, Kabakaputtur, Mangaluru Junction, Thokur, Udupi, Kundapura, Mookambika Road Byndoor, Murdeshwar, Gokarna Road, and Karwar. The existing Madgaon-Mangaluru Central-Madgaon Vande Bharat Express will be discontinued from November 15.
The Economic Times reported that the new service is expected to be given priority through the Western Ghats, particularly the 55-km Sakleshpur-Subrahmanya Road stretch. This priority could affect the schedules of 13 existing trains, potentially impacting nearly 15,000 regular passengers. The service is expected to have an average speed of approximately 53 to 55 kmph.