Vande Bharat Express between Bengaluru and Goa proposed with 13-hour journey time

Close on the heels of Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw announcing introduction of a coastal Vande Bharat Express service, the Railway Ministry has proposed a service between Yesvantpur in Bengaluru and Madgaon in Goa via Mangaluru railway region.

According to the proposal, the service will skip Mangaluru Junction and Mangaluru Central stations, and will run via Padil. The running time in each direction would be about 13 hours.

The South Western Railway (SWR), in a note, stated that if the VB has to run via Mangaluru Junction, running time has to be increased.

Two VB rakes would have to be deployed for the service, one each starting from Yesvantpur and Madgaon in the morning to reach their destinations in the evening.

Tentative timetable

As per the tentative schedule, the Yesvantpur-Madgaon Vande Bharat Express will depart Yesvantpur (in Bengaluru) at 6.05 a.m., reach Padil at 2 p.m. and arrive in Madgaon at 7.15 p.m., taking a total of 13.10 hours.

The Madgaon-Yesvantpur Vande Bharat Express is scheduled to depart Madgaon in Goa at 5.30 a.m. and reach Padil at 11 a.m. The train will arrive in Yesvantpur at 6.40 p.m., taking a total of 13.10 hours.

The Railway Ministry noted that the average speed of the service is less than 50 kmph. However, SWR stated the speed could be increased post enhancing the speed limit between Chikka Banawara and Hassan from 110 kmph to 130 kmph, and on Sakleshpur-Subrahmanya Road Ghat section from 30 kmph to 40 kmph.

What is stopping SWR from beginning trial run

Before finalising the schedule, SWR said trial runs would have to be conducted using two VB rakes with Automatic Emergency Braking (AEB) system. The overhead electrical equipment (OHE) system in the recently electrified Hassan-Thokur (Mangaluru) section has to be certified and energised for conducting the trials, SWR stated.

The timings of the service have been arrived at by accounting for restrictions on the Sakleshpur Ghat section, including speed limit of 30 kmph, and crossing of trains

3 hours for Bengaluru-Hassan train journey

The SWR has allocated nearly three hours (2.55 hours) for the proposed VB Express on the Yesvantpur-Hassan-Yesvantpur section (174 km) whereas the KSR Bengaluru-Kannur-KSR Bengaluru Express (16511/12) traverses this distance in 2.45/3 hours, and KSR Bengaluru-Karwar-KSR Bengaluru Panchaganga Express (16595/96) covers the section in 2.30 hours.