Ending a three-decade wait, Indian Railways has introduced a second direct train connecting Mumbai and Bengaluru. Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw virtually flagged off the SMVT Bengaluru–Lokmanya Tilak Terminus Express from Karnataka's capital on Sunday.
Train Schedule and Route
The train will depart from SMVT Bengaluru at 8:35 PM on Saturdays and Tuesdays, arriving at Lokmanya Tilak Terminus in Mumbai at 8:40 PM the following day. The return service from Mumbai will start at 11:15 PM on Sundays and Wednesdays, reaching Bengaluru by 10:30 PM. The train will halt at Sampige Road, Davanagere, Hubballi, Dharwad, Belagavi, Miraj, Sangli, Karad, Satara, Lonand, Pune, Lonavala, Karjat, Kalyan, and Thane. Operating as a bi-weekly express, the journey takes approximately 24 hours.
Pending Demands and Future Plans
Despite the new service, passenger demands for a faster daily train remain unfulfilled. Speaking at the flag-off event, Minister Vaishnaw announced that a Vande Bharat Sleeper service between Bengaluru and Mumbai is expected to start soon. On the Bengaluru Suburban Railway Project (BSRP), he stated that the network will integrate key hubs including the airport, Electronic City, Marathahalli, and Hebbal. “For the Baiyappanahalli–Chikkabanavara and Heelalige–Rajanukunte corridors, land acquisition has been completed and station works are currently in progress,” Vaishnaw elaborated. “The KSR Bengaluru–Devanahalli alignment has been jointly approved by the state government and the railways, and the geotechnical survey has been completed. The Kengeri–Whitefield alignment was recently approved, and survey work will commence shortly.”
Maintenance Facilities
Additionally, a Vande Bharat Sleeper maintenance depot will be established at Thanisandra at a cost of Rs 270 crore, along with a chair car maintenance facility at SMVT Bengaluru costing Rs 52.7 crore.
Criticism of Tunnel Road Projects
Criticising the state government's push for tunnel road corridors in the city, Vaishnaw said Bengaluru needs rail-based solutions for its transport issues. “We all know that Bengaluru needs a huge amount of work on transportation and it needs very realistic, very practical solutions and not very impractical solutions like digging tunnels,” he said.
High-Speed Rail Corridor Demand
Bangalore South MP Tejasvi Surya, who virtually attended the event, requested Vaishnaw to consider a high-speed rail corridor between Bengaluru and Mumbai via Davangere and Hubballi. “Our request is to also consider a high-speed rail corridor between Bengaluru and Mumbai that goes via Davangere and Hubballi because Mumbai and Bengaluru have lakhs of people who travel between these two cities. This will also help in a big boost to economic activities in central and North Karnataka,” he said.
