Mumbai-Bengaluru Vande Bharat Sleeper to begin operations on November 1

India’s second Vande Bharat sleeper train service between Mumbai and Bengaluru will commence on November 1, coinciding with Karnataka Rajyotsava, Union Minister of State for Railways and Jal Shakti V Somanna announced on Thursday. The BJP described the launch as a "Diwali gift" for people of Karnataka and Maharashtra.

The new service will cover the 1,118-km route in about 16 hours, cutting travel time by nearly eight hours, Somanna said in a post on X.

The train will comprise 16 fully air-conditioned coaches and offer 823 berths, providing passengers with a premium overnight travel experience. Describing it as a symbol of speed, comfort and world-class engineering, Somanna said the service reflects Indian Railways’ continuing focus on modernisation.


Somanna, who represents Tumakuru in the Lok Sabha, said the launch marks a significant addition to the country’s expanding Vande Bharat network. The first Vande Bharat sleeper service was introduced between Howrah and Kamakhya in January this year.

According to a written reply by Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw in the Lok Sabha in March, fares for Vande Bharat sleeper trains are calculated on a per passenger-per kilometre basis. For AC 3-tier travel, the fare is Rs 2.40 per km, excluding GST. Based on this structure, the indicative fare for a 1,000-km journey works out to around Rs 2,400, excluding taxes. The minister had also stated that Vande Bharat sleeper trains do not offer Reservation Against Cancellation (RAC) tickets.

The fare ranges from Rs 2.40 to Rs 3.80 per km, which the Railways says is lower than fares for comparable services in countries such as China, Japan and France, where rates are estimated to range between Rs 7 and Rs 20 per km.

Indian Railways provided passenger fare subsidies of Rs 60,239 crore in 2024-25, translating into an average concession of 43% for travellers, according to the minister.