Karnataka is all set to get its fourth Vande Bharat Express train that will connect Bengaluru and Coimbatore, enhancing connectivity in the states of Tamil Nadu & Karnataka.
It will be the second Vande Bharat Express between the two southern states. One such train operates between Chennai, Bengaluru, and Mysuru.According to Bengaluru Central MP PC Mohan, only Uday Express operates between Bengaluru and Coimbatore in the morning with a travel time of roughly 7 hours. However, by the end of December, Vande Bharat Express will also be launched for this route, local media reported.
— Ministry of Railways (@RailMinIndia) December 27, 2023
Meanwhile, the trial runs for the Coimbatore-Bengaluru Vande Bharat train commenced in the early hours of Wednesday at 5 am. The eight-coach train departed Coimbatore at 5 am and arrived at Bengaluru Cantonment station at around 10: 45 am, covering a distance of 315 km in over five hours.
Notably, the Coimbatore -Bengaluru Vande Bharat train will be flagged with five other Vande Bharat trains on December 30, by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, as reported by The Indian Express.
Additionally, Karnataka will get its fifth Vande Bharat train connecting Mangalore and Madgaon (Goa). The other routes are Ayodhya-Anand Vihar, New Delhi- SMVD Katra, New Delhi-Amritsar and Mumbai-Jalna. Besides, the ticket fares for the same are expected to be notified on December 29.At present, Bengaluru has Vande Bharat trains to Dharwad, Belagavi, Hubballi, Chennai, Mysuru and Hyderabad. Recently, the Bengaluru – Dharwad Vande Bharat Express was extended to Belagavi in north Karnataka.
More Vande Bharat to hit the tracks soon
Vande Bharat Express, a self-propelled semi-high-speed train, boasts superior design, interiors, and speed.
Earlier last month, Union Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said that he is working on a plan to introduce 3,000 new trains in the next four to five years to raise the railways’ passenger capacity from 800 crores at present to 1,000 crores.
69,000 new coaches are available and every year it is manufacturing about 5,000 new coaches, news agency PTI reported.
The agency said that with all these efforts the railways can add 200 to 250 new trains every year and these are besides 400 to 450 Vande Bharat trains, which are going to be added in the coming years.