Bengaluru-Mumbai Vande Bharat Sleeper could save 8 hours per journey; new direct train option between two major cities to be launched within October

Railway Board is expected to notify the SMVT Bengaluru-Mumbai CSMT Vande Bharat Sleeper very soon. Railway zones have reportedly been asked to start the service at the earliest convenient date. Official flag-off date is still awaited but the train is expected to roll out this month itself.

The only direct train between these two cities currently, Udyan Express takes around 24 hours on this route. Vande Bharat Sleeper is expected to do it in under 16 hours. That is roughly 8 hours cut from every single trip between Bengaluru and Mumbai, making it the fastest direct train on this corridor right now.

Train will run six days a week in both directions. Bengaluru-bound service will not run on Mondays. Mumbai-bound service will not run on Tuesdays. Final timetable is yet to be confirmed officially by Indian Railways.

Bengaluru to Mumbai: Departs SMVT Bengaluru at 10 pm, arrives Mumbai CSMT at 1:50 pm next day.Mumbai to Bengaluru: Departs Mumbai CSMT at 10:30 pm, arrives Bengaluru at 2:50 pm next day.Both directions give you a full overnight window to sleep through the journey.

Train will not pass through Hubballi. Likely stops are Anantapur, Guntakal, Raichur, Kalaburagi, Solapur and Kalyan. These cover key towns across Karnataka, the Telangana border region and Maharashtra before reaching the final destination.

Passengers have been asking for faster Bengaluru-Mumbai rail connectivity for over 30 years. Right now only two direct trains connect the two cities, with Udyan Express being the only daily one. Vande Bharat Sleeper is the first serious upgrade this corridor has seen in decades.

Madgaon-Mangaluru Vande Bharat Express is being extended to Bengaluru via Hassan, Udupi and Karwar. It will run as Yesvantpur-Mangaluru-Madgaon Vande Bharat Express with revised timings, creating a direct Vande Bharat link between Bengaluru and coastal Karnataka, all the way to Goa.(Inputs from Agencies)