Prime Minister Narendra Modi will flag off the Bengaluru-Mangaluru-Udupi-Madgaon Vande Bharat Express in Bengaluru on November 13, at a programme scheduled for 2 pm. Udupi-Chikkamagaluru MP Kota Srinivasa Poojary said the Prime Minister will launch the extended service at the Bengaluru programme.
A symbolic inauguration of the train travelling from the coastal region towards Bengaluru will be held at Mangaluru Junction. Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw will take part, along with the MPs of Mangaluru, Udupi and Karwar.
Regular services in both directions between Bengaluru and Madgaon are scheduled to start on November 15. The extended service will link the state capital directly with the coastal districts and Goa.
A long-awaited link for the coast
The train has been running between Mangaluru and Madgaon for the past year. The extension to Bengaluru takes the service beyond the coast for the first time.
The proposal for the link dates back to 2019, when then Railway Minister Piyush Goyal envisaged the connection. Progress was held up by pending electrification on the Sakleshpur-Subrahmanya Ghat section.
The work moved forward once the Karwar-Mangaluru-Bengaluru route was electrified, clearing the way for the extended service.
What the extension means for passengers
The new service gives passengers on the coast a direct train to Bengaluru, and Bengaluru a direct link to Udupi, Mangaluru and Madgaon. It adds to the Vande Bharat services already running in the region.
The flag-off in Bengaluru on November 13 will be followed by the symbolic inauguration at Mangaluru Junction. Regular services begin on November 15.
