The long-awaited Vande Bharat Sleeper Express between Bengaluru and Mumbai is set to commence operations on November 1, coinciding with Karnataka Rajyotsava. This launch fulfills a decade-long demand for a faster rail connection between the two commercial hubs. Although the service was initially targeted for October, the delay was attributed to the ongoing Legislative Council elections in the state. Railway officials from the South Western Railway zone confirmed that train numbers 27651/652 will operate as a special inaugural service on the launch date, with the regular timetable to be announced subsequently.
Currently, the only direct service between the cities is the Udyana Express, a non-superfast train that takes 24 hours to complete the journey. Passengers have demanded a superfast alternative for years. Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw had announced the Vande Bharat Superfast train last year, and in April, he informed Member of Parliament P.C. Mohan via letter that the new Vande Bharat Sleeper service between KSR Bengaluru and Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) had been approved. However, the introduction of a twice-weekly Bengaluru-Mumbai Express in May, which was not a superfast service, had disappointed travelers who criticized it as a “super slow” train.
The new Vande Bharat train will reduce the travel time to 16 hours, saving eight hours compared to the existing service. Trains will run daily in both directions, benefiting business travelers and the thousands of daily commuters between the cities. M. Karibasappa, a railway passenger, noted that the reduced travel time would be advantageous for entrepreneurs and businesspeople. The 16-coach train will stop at Dharmavaram, Anantapur, Guntakal, Raichur, Wadi, Kalaburagi, Solapur, Pune, and Kalyan, as per the proposed schedule.
The service will depart from CSMT daily at 8:10 PM, arriving at Sir M. Visvesvaraya Terminal (SMVT) in Bengaluru at 11:55 AM the next day. The return journey will depart from SMVT at 7:50 PM daily, reaching CSMT at 11:55 AM the following morning. K.N. Krishnaprasad, a railway activist, expressed concern that the train will only originate from KSR Bengaluru on the inaugural day before shifting to SMVT. He argued that this would inconvenience residents of South Central and North Bengaluru, urging authorities to ensure the train continues to operate from KSR Bengaluru or, at the very least, from Yeshwantpur station.
