Karnataka to get 11th Vande Bharat, linking Bengaluru, Belagavi

Bengaluru: Karnataka is all set to receive its 11th Vande Bharat Express, this time connecting Bengaluru and Belagavi.

Contrary to earlier reports, this will not be an extension of the existing Bengaluru-Dharwad-Bengaluru Vande Bharat. Instead, the railways has decided to launch an entirely new service by allotting a dedicated rake for the South Western Railway (SWR).

While the SWR’s Chief Public Relations officer, Manjunath Kanamadi, said official communication was still awaited, a senior official in the know confirmed to DH that it would be a new Vande Bharat train service.

Initially, the railways will deploy an eight-coach trainset and may add more coaches based on demand, the official added, speaking on the condition of anonymity.

Demand has been growing for a premium train service between Bengaluru and Belagavi. The railways had initially considered extending the Dharwad train to Belagavi and even conducted a trial run on November 21, 2023.

The trial run involved an eight-coach trainset, reaching a top speed of 110 kmph and covering the 610.6-km distance in 7 hours and 55 mins — nearly two hours faster than the current fastest train on the route.

However, the proposal to extend the Dharwad train faced opposition, including from political leaders, who argued it would inconvenience passengers from the twin cities. The railways later decided to run a new train.

The new train will leave Belagavi in the morning and reach KSR Bengaluru in the afternoon.

The return journey will begin in the afternoon and conclude late at night. Primary maintenance of the train will will be carried out in Belagavi. The train will stop at Londa, Dharwad, Hubballi, Haveri, Davangere, Tumakuru and Yeshwantpur.

The Railway Board is expected to announce the date for the start of the commercial run and fare details in the coming days. The fare will likely be around Rs 1,500 for Chair Car and Rs 2,500 for Executive Class.

Karnataka currently has 10 Vande Bharat Express trains — five from Bengaluru (to Dharwad, Kalaburagi, Hyderabad, Coimbatore and Madurai), two from Mysuru to Chennai (via Bengaluru), two from Mangaluru (to Madgaon and Thiruvananthapuram), and one from Hubballi to Pune.