Bengaluru-Mumbai Vande Bharat Sleeper Train To Start Public Service On November 3

The Bengaluru-Mumbai Vande Bharat sleeper train will start running on the 3rd of November, Deccan Herald reports. Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw is set to flag off South India's first Vande Bharat sleeper at SMVT Bengaluru on November 1 with the flag-off scheduled for 10.30 am.

The Railway Board is expected to issue a formal notification covering the timetable, days of service and other details only on November 1. Commercial operations of the Vande Bharat Sleeper between Bengaluru and Mumbai will start on the 3rd of November.

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Bengaluru-Mumbai Vande Bharat Sleeper Timings, Stops and Fare

The Bengaluru-Mumbai Vande Bharat Sleeper will connect SMVT Bengaluru with Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) in Mumbai. As per the tentative schedule, it leaves Bengaluru at 7.50 pm and reaches Mumbai at 11.55 am the next day, a run of 16 hours and five minutes.

In the return direction, the train departs CSMT at 8.10 pm and arrives at SMVT Bengaluru at 11.55 am, taking 15 hours and 45 minutes. Existing train journeys between the two cities generally take 22 to 24 hours.

The service will run six days a week via Guntakal, with primary maintenance at SMVT Bengaluru. Proposed stops are Anantapur, Guntakal, Raichur, Kalaburagi, Solapur, Pune and Kalyan.

Two 16-coach trainsets built by BEML will be deployed on the route, and the Railways has already conducted a trial run through the Ghat section between Mumbai and Pune. A 3-tier AC berth is expected to cost around Rs 3,000, with meals served onboard.

However, some railway enthusiasts and regular passengers have objected to SMVT Bengaluru as the terminal with many arguing the station's connectivity is poor for a premium service and that KSR Bengaluru, the city's main railway station, is the better fit.