Vande Bharat Trial Run on Yesvantpur-Mangaluru Route Begins

Indian Railways has initiated a trial run of a new Vande Bharat Express on the Yesvantpur–Mangaluru Central route, signalling the imminent launch of another semi-high-speed service for Karnataka. The trial, conducted under the South Western Railway's Bengaluru Division, covers a distance of approximately 360 kilometres.

The trial is being carried out with a 16-coach Vande Bharat trainset. Its purpose is to assess the proposed travel time and finalise the schedule for the commercial run. During the exercise, officials from the Operations, Electrical (TRO/TRD), Engineering, and Mechanical departments are monitoring operational parameters and safety systems.

The trainset, built at the Integral Coach Factory in Chennai, will be the 13th Vande Bharat service to operate in Karnataka, where 12 pairs are already running. Once introduced, the service is expected to improve connectivity not only between Bengaluru and coastal Karnataka but also onward towards Madgaon.

The trial follows the completion of electrification on the Bengaluru–Mangaluru line in December 2025, with a successful electric locomotive test conducted on 28 December. Electrification work, which began in December 2023, involved setting up five switching stations and a full overhead electrification system, with traction poles spaced at a maximum interval of 67.5 metres for safety.

Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw had earlier noted that electrification of the ghat section would allow Vande Bharat and other faster electric trains to operate on the route, offering quicker and cleaner connectivity to the coastal region.