Vande Bharat Express between Bengaluru and Goa proposed with 13-hour journey time

Proposed Vande Bharat Express to connect Bengaluru and Madgaon with a 13-hour journey, skipping Mangaluru stations for efficiency.

Close on the heels of Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw announcing introduction of a coastal Vande Bharat Express service, the Railway Ministry has proposed a service between Yesvantpur in Bengaluru and Madgaon in Goa via Mangaluru railway region.

According to the proposal, the service will skip Mangaluru Junction and Mangaluru Central stations, and will run via Padil. The running time in each direction would be about 13 hours.

The South Western Railway (SWR), in a note, stated that if the VB has to run via Mangaluru Junction, running time has to be increased.

Two VB rakes would have to be deployed for the service, one each starting from Yesvantpur and Madgaon in the morning to reach their destinations in the evening.

As per the tentative schedule, the Yesvantpur-Madgaon Vande Bharat Express will depart Yesvantpur (in Bengaluru) at 6.05 a.m., reach Padil at 2 p.m. and arrive in Madgaon at 7.15 p.m., taking a total of 13.10 hours.

The Madgaon-Yesvantpur Vande Bharat Express is scheduled to depart Madgaon in Goa at 5.30 a.m. and reach Padil at 11 a.m. The train will arrive in Yesvantpur at 6.40 p.m., taking a total of 13.10 hours.