Bengaluru-Mumbai Vande Bharat Sleeper travels up to 8 hours faster than Udyan Express and other trains, completes journey in 16 hours instead of 22 to 24 hrs; check travel time and ticket prices

Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Sunday flagged off the Bengaluru-Mumbai Vande Bharat Sleeper Express from SMVT Bengaluru. Running as 27652 and 27651, the 16-coach train covers the route in about 16 hours. Most other trains take 22 hours or more. Here is how it compares with them, and with a flight.

Bengaluru To Mumbai Vande Bharat Sleeper (27652) leaves SMVT Bengaluru at 7.45 pm and reaches CSMT Mumbai at 11.55 am. That is 16 hours 10 minutes. The Udyan Express (11302) leaves Bengaluru at 8.40 pm and reaches Mumbai at 8.15 pm the next day. That is about 23 hours 35 minutes, almost a full day.

Mumbai To Bengaluru Vande Bharat Sleeper (27651) leaves CSMT at 8.10 pm and reaches Bengaluru at noon, taking 15 hours 50 minutes. The Udyan Express (11301) takes about 22 hours 5 minutes. Vande Bharat Sleeper is the fastest train between the two cities.

The Dadar Central-Puducherry Chalukya Express (11005/11006) runs via SMVT Bengaluru. According to RailYatri, it takes about 23 hours 45 minutes from Mumbai to Bengaluru. The Vande Bharat Sleeper (27651) finishes the same trip in 15 hours 50 minutes. That is a saving of nearly 8 hours.

The Mumbai LTT-Coimbatore Express (11013/11014) is another train many passengers use for Bengaluru. It takes about 23 hours 25 minutes to reach Bengaluru from Mumbai, as listed by RailYatri. The new Vande Bharat Sleeper cuts that by 7 hours 35 minutes. That is a whole working morning saved.

The Bikaner-Yesvantpur Express (16588) takes about 24 hours 40 minutes. The Garib Nawaz Express (16531) takes about 27 hours 45 minutes. Against the Vande Bharat Sleeper’s 15 hours 50 minutes, that is a saving of about 8 hours 50 minutes and nearly 12 hours. Both are long route trains that start in Rajasthan.

A direct flight takes around 1 hour 54 minutes on average. So in the air, a flight wins easily. But you also spend time reaching the airport, checking in and collecting bags on both sides. Vande Bharat Sleeper uses your night. You board in the evening and reach by noon. Flights are the costliest option. The cheapest one way fares start around Rs 5,300 to Rs 5,900. Typical fare is at about Rs 10,700. Booking one to two months ahead may bring it down to around Rs 8,300.

The fare is set by distance. Media reports put rates of Rs 2.4 per km for 3AC, Rs 3.1 for 2AC and Rs 3.8 for 1AC, with GST extra. Over about 1,118 km, that works out to roughly Rs 2,700 for 3AC. Estimates expect to be about Rs 3,000 with meals. Udyan Express is cheaper, but slower with starting fares of about Rs 532 for Sleeper and Rs 1,425 for 3AC on the 11301. That is far lower than the Vande Bharat Sleeper. But you pay with 6 to 7 extra hours on the train, plus 30 plus stops.

Bengaluru-Mumbai Vande Bharat Sleeper stops at only eight stations: Anantapur, Guntakal, Raichur, Yadgir, Kalaburagi, Solapur, Pune and Kalyan. Train 27651 from Mumbai starts regular service on November 2, except Tuesdays. Train 27652 from Bengaluru starts on November 3, except Mondays. The Udyan Express runs daily.

The inaugural special train also stopped at Hindupur, Dharmavaram and Lonavala. It is due at CSMT Mumbai at 6.15 am on Monday. Union Ministers Pralhad Joshi and H D Kumaraswamy, and MPs Tejasvi Surya, P C Mohan and C N Manjunath were present. The rake has eight motor car and four trailer car coaches.