Trial runs for Coimbatore-Bengaluru Vande Bharat begin

There is also growing demand from rail users in Karnataka to introduce more Vande Bharat trains to destinations like Tirupathi, Pondicherry, Madurai and Ernakulam. However, sources in the South Western Railways stated that the Railway Board has to notify the routes depending upon the availability of rakes and commercial justification.

As per the schedule shared by South Western Railway, the CBE-BNC VB train will depart from Coimbatore at 5 am, with stops at Omalur (7:40am), Dharmapuri (8:30am), Hosur (10:05 am) and reach Bengaluru Cantonment by 11:30 am. Interestingly, the new Vande Bharat train will also be the first train to operate from the now redeveloped Cantonment station in Bengaluru which is expected to be functional by 2025.

The train will depart from Bengaluru at 1:40 pm and reach Coimbatore by 8 pm. During the trial runs, the train clocked a maximum speed of 110km. The train is expected to reduce the travel time by 2-2.5 hours compared to other express trains on the Coimbatore-Bengaluru route. This train connecting Coimbatore and Bengaluru is expected to benefit working professionals from Dharmapuri and Salem who are traveling for work to Bengaluru on a regular basis. In addition the swift connectivity will also benefit people working in different clothing and other industries in Hosur and Dharmapuri.

The Mangalore-Madgaon VB train is expected to reduce the travel time by one hour from the current five-hour journey. During the trial runs, the train started from Mangalore at 8:30 am with stops at Udupi (9:50am), Karwar (12:10am) and reached Madgaon at 1:15pm. Further, the train departs Madgaon at 6:10 pm and reaches Mangalore at 10:45 pm.