Bengaluru-Goa Vande Bharat Express to begin regular services on November 15
The new service will connect Yeshwantpur and Madgaon via Mangaluru Junction, replacing the existing Madgaon-Mangaluru Vande Bharat Express.
Regular services of the Vande Bharat Express between Bengaluru and Madgaon in Goa, via Mangaluru, are scheduled to begin 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 inaugural service, train number 06512, will depart from Sir M Visvesvaraya Terminal (SMVT) in Bengaluru at 1.30pm.
The 16-coach chair-car service will operate between Yeshwantpur Junction and Madgaon, connecting towns across the Malnad and coastal Karnataka regions. Starting November 15, train number 26655 will depart Yeshwantpur at 7.35am and reach Madgaon at 8.55pm, operating six days a week except Wednesdays.
The return service, train number 26656, will depart Madgaon at 8.20am and reach Yeshwantpur at 9.15pm, operating six days a week except Thursdays. The journey between Bengaluru and Madgaon will take 13 hours and 20 minutes, while the return trip will take 12 hours and 55 minutes.
The existing Madgaon-Mangaluru Central-Madgaon Vande Bharat Express will be discontinued from November 15. K N Krishna Prasad of Karnataka Railway Vedike said the long travel duration for the Goa leg was because the entire route has a single track and timings were revised to accommodate other trains.
The new service is expected to improve connectivity for tourists, pilgrims, and business travellers to destinations such as Udupi, Murdeshwar, and Gokarna.