Goa Could Soon Be Just One Vande Bharat Ride From Bengaluru, Connecting 14 Key Stops

Vande Bharat trains have made rail travel between major cities and popular destinations convenient, with multiple routes now connecting different parts of the country. The network is set to expand further with a proposed service connecting Bengaluru and Goa, giving travellers a direct rail option via Mangaluru and several towns along Karnataka's coastal belt.

According to The Hindu, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said on September 29 that the existing Mangaluru Central-Madgaon Vande Bharat Express will be extended to Yesvantpur in Bengaluru via Mangaluru Junction. The extended service will operate under new train numbers 26655/656 as the Yesvantpur-Madgaon-Yesvantpur Vande Bharat Express.

The route will connect Bengaluru with several destinations across coastal Karnataka before reaching Goa.

Timings

The Railways has not yet officially announced the timetable. According to sources to The Hindu, the Yesvantpur-Madgaon Vande Bharat (26655) is likely to depart Yesvantpur at 6.05 am and reach Madgaon at 7.15 pm.

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The return service, Madgaon-Yesvantpur (26656), is likely to leave Madgaon at 5.30 am and reach Yesvantpur at 6.40 pm on the same day.

Bengaluru-Goa Vande Bharat: Route And Stops

The proposed train will cover the following stations:

• Yesvantpur (Bengaluru)
• Shravanabelagola
• Hassan
• Sakleshpur
• Subrahmanya Road
• Kabaka Puttur
• Mangaluru Junction
• Udupi
• Kundapura
• Byndoor
• Murdeshwar
• Gokarna Road
• Karwar
• Madgaon (Goa)

Why Is The New Train Important?

The existing Mangaluru Central-Madgaon Vande Bharat has been operating since December 31, 2023, covering the distance in about 5 hours 30 minutes. The extended service will add a direct Vande Bharat connection from Bengaluru to the coastal Karnataka and Goa route.

A trial run of the proposed service with a 16-car coach was conducted on September 10 between Yesvantpur and Mangaluru Junction. It covered the route in 7 hours 5 minutes in the down direction and 6 hours 49 minutes in the return direction.

What Passengers Want

While the proposed service is expected to take around 13 hours, passengers have asked the Railways to reduce the journey time to at least 11 hours. There is also a demand for a morning departure from Mangaluru to Bengaluru and a night return, allowing passengers travelling for work and official purposes to complete their business in the city.

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“Ideally, the train should depart from Mangaluru early in the morning, enabling people travelling to Bengaluru for work to complete their business by the afternoon and return on a night train. This would ensure that they do not lose an entire working day," Kanara Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) president P.B. Ahmed Mudassar said.  

Pashchima Karavali Railway Yatri Abhivriddhi Samithi president G Hanumanth Kamath cited the Mangaluru Central-Thiruvananthapuram Central Vande Bharat as an example, saying its morning departure from Mangaluru and night return had made it popular. He said the proposed Mangaluru-Bengaluru service should follow a similar schedule, with a 6 am departure from Mangaluru being ideal as it would also avoid affecting other trains.