Bengaluru-Mumbai Vande Bharat sleeper train to run via Kalaburagi with 16-hour travel time

Bengaluru: It's confirmed. The Bengaluru-Mumbai Vande Bharat sleeper train approved recently will run via Kalaburagi with a travel time of at least 16 hours, authorities said.

Dharwad MP and union minister Pralhad Joshi as well as Bangalore Central MP, P C Mohan, tweeted on Monday that the premium train was planned via the Kalyana Karnataka region (Kalaburagi).

Citing his telephonic conversation with the Railway Board chairman, Bangalore South MP L S Tejasvi said brand new coaches were being readied and the target was to start the service by July-end.

In addition, Joshi and Mohan said a separate superfast train connecting Bengaluru and Mumbai via Hubballi was also planned and would be upgraded to the Vande Bharat sleeper.

Ashutosh Kumar Singh, Divisional Railway Manager, Bengaluru, confirmed to DH that the train would operate via Kalaburagi because it was a shorter route. The travel time will be at least 16 hours, he added.  

The announcement fulfills a long-pending demand to connect two of India's most important cities by a dedicated superfast train. Currently, only one dedicated train (Udyan Express) operates on the route, covering 1,136 km in approximately 24 hours.

Public representatives and railway activists demanded that the superfast train run via Hubballi to serve the Karnataka hinterland better. However, the relatively longer route (1,216 km), and single tracks and speed restrictions in some sections would have pushed the travel time to about 18 hours.

In December 2025, the Railway Board approved a biweekly train between Bengaluru and Mumbai via Hubballi with a 24-hour travel time. However, the proposal was put on hold following public criticism. While railway authorities eventually decided on the Kalaburagi route, they also approved a superfast train via Hubballi to serve Karnataka better.

K N Krishna Prasad of the Karnataka Railway Vedike welcomed both trains but wished the Vande Bharat sleeper would run via Hubballi. He agreed that the Kalaburagi route would be faster because it was fully electrified, doubled and most sections supported a top speed of 130 kmph.

A 30.04-km section between Makajipalli and Dharmavaram, part of the Penukonda-Dharmavaram doubling project, was completed in February.