Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw flags off Bengaluru-Mumbai Vande Bharat Sleeper: Check route, stoppages and timings

Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Sunday, November 1, flagged off the Bengaluru-Mumbai Vande Bharat Sleeper Express from Sir M Visvesvaraya Terminal (SMVT) in Bengaluru, marking the launch of a new overnight rail service between the two cities, PTI reported. The inaugural ceremony was held at Platform 1 of the terminal.

Union Minister for Heavy Industries and Steel HD Kumaraswamy and Minister of State for Railways V Somanna were also present at the event. The inaugural train departed from Bengaluru for Mumbai at 12.15 pm as part of the launch programme.

Addressing the event, Vaishnaw said India was exporting Vande Bharat train coaches and propulsion systems to countries including Switzerland, the United States and France. He added that the country aimed to begin exporting complete trains within four years.



The regular service, numbered 27652, will connect SMVT Bengaluru with Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) in Mumbai. It will operate six days a week, except Mondays, and halt at eight stations along the route.

Also Read: New Vande Bharat Express set to connect Bengaluru and Goa and pass through scenic Western Ghats: Check route, stops, timings, timetable and other key details

Bengaluru-Mumbai Vande Bharat Sleeper train: Full route and stoppages

The new service will pass through Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra and other parts of the route, with eight scheduled halts between Bengaluru and Mumbai.

The stoppages will be at:

1. Anantapur
2. Guntakal
3. Raichur
4. Yadgir
5. Kalaburagi
6. Solapur
7. Pune
8. Kalyan

The train will depart from SMVT Bengaluru at 7:45 pm and reach CSMT Mumbai at 11:55 am the following day. The six-day operating schedule, with Monday as the weekly non-operating day, will provide passengers with an overnight rail connection between the two cities.

Vande Bharat Sleeper train between Varanasi and Delhi launched

The Bengaluru-Mumbai service comes a day after another Vande Bharat Sleeper route was introduced between Varanasi and New Delhi. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw flagged off the service from Varanasi on Saturday.

The new train will connect Varanasi with New Delhi through Prayagraj, Kanpur Central, Aligarh and Ghaziabad. These stops are expected to improve rail connectivity for passengers travelling between major cities and nearby districts.

Under the scheduled timetable, the Varanasi-New Delhi service will leave Varanasi at 8:50 pm and arrive in the national capital at 6:10 am the next day. On the return journey, it will depart New Delhi at 9:40 pm and reach Varanasi at 7:10 am the following morning.

Vande Bharat Sleeper services expand to more routes

The introduction of the Bengaluru-Mumbai and Varanasi-Delhi services adds to the expansion of Indian Railways' overnight Vande Bharat network. The first services on the Howrah-Guwahati corridor, including the corresponding return journey, were introduced in January 2026.

The sleeper variant has been developed for long-distance journeys, with dedicated sleeping accommodation, upgraded onboard facilities and advanced safety systems. Indian Railways is seeking to use the new trains to improve comfort and connectivity on routes where passengers typically travel overnight.

With inputs from PTI