Second Vande Bharat between Mysuru & Chennai starts today

Bengaluru: The second Vande Bharat Express connecting Mysuru and Chennai via Bengaluru starts on Friday. 

The South Western Railway (SWR) has readied the necessary facilities in Mysuru to maintain the premium train, according to its Chief Public Relations Officer (CPRO), Manjunath Kanamadi. 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagged off the train on March 12. 

Between March 14 and April 4, the train ran between SMVT Bengaluru and Chennai Central because Mysuru lacked the facility to maintain the Vande Bharat trains. It didn't run on Wednesdays. 

From Friday (April 5) onwards, the train (20663/20664) will run between Mysuru and Chennai Central via KSR Bengaluru, Kanamadi stated. 

Between April 5 and July 29, the train will not run on Wednesdays. And from July 30 onwards, it will not run on Thursdays. 

The SWR attributed the change in the day off to mechanical constraints. 

This is the second Vande Bharat Express between Mysuru and Chennai. The first (train numbers 20607/20608) has been running since November 2022. It leaves Chennai Central at 5.50 am and reaches Mysuru at 12.20 pm. The return train departs from Mysuru at 1.05 pm and reaches Chennai Central at 7.20 pm. It is maintained in Chennai by the Southern Railway. 

The new service leaves Mysuru at 6 am and reaches Chennai Central at 12.25 pm via Mandya, KSR Bengaluru, KR Puram and Katpadi. In the return direction, the train leaves Chennai Central at 5 pm to reach Mysuru at 11.20 pm.