M B Patil meets rail minister, seeks Bengaluru-Mumbai bullet train

Bengaluru: Infrastructure Development Minister M B Patil on Saturday submitted representations to Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, seeking approval for a Vande Bharat sleeper train from Bengaluru to Vijayapura, a high-speed rail (bullet train) corridor between Bengaluru and Mumbai, and a daily special train on Bengaluru–Vijayapura route. 

After launching Zetwerk Electronics’ manufacturing excellence facility at the hi-tech hardware park near the Bengaluru airport, Patil met Vaishnaw at the venue and handed over the representations. The railway minister assured him that the proposals would be examined positively, according to a statement from Patil’s office. 

He asked for extending the proposed Mumbai-Pune high-speed rail corridor up to Bengaluru. Vaishnaw responded positively to this request as well, the statement said. 

Further, Patil pointed out that the distance between Bengaluru and Vijayapura was around 530 km and that the current train journey takes 15-16 hours, which could be reduced to about 10 hours.

To achieve this, he suggested limiting halts between Bengaluru and Hubballi, and operating trains via Hubballi and Gadag bypasses.

He sought the introduction of a Vande Bharat train on this route and the introduction of a daily special train service.