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Indian Railways to notify Bengaluru–Mumbai Vande Bharat sleeper

By Drooid · Oct 3, 2026, 4:04 AM UTC · How we work

Summary

Indian Railways Launches Sleeper

The Indian Railway Board will soon notify the Bengaluru-Mumbai Vande Bharat sleeper service.
It will be India’s second Vande Bharat sleeper train.
The train will run six days a week in both directions.
Journey time will be under 16 hours, halving the current 24-hour trip.
Depart Bengaluru 10 pm, arrive Mumbai 1:50 pm; return 10:30 pm, arrive Bengaluru 2:50 pm, stopping at Anantapur, Guntakal, Raichur, Kalaburagi, Kalyan, skipping Hubballi.

Summary

Railway Board Delays

The Railway Board re-allocated a Vande Bharat rake to Northern Railway, postponing the Bengaluru-Mumbai service.
MP Tejasvi Surya announced a super-fast Bengaluru-Mumbai train for September 2025, sparking high expectations.
BJP Karnataka migrant outreach network demanded a decision, warning the delay harms IT-capital connectivity.
A bi-weekly SMVT Bengaluru-Lokmanya Tilak Terminus Express began in May 2026, taking about 24 hours.

History

Historical Context

In 1988, Indian Railways launched the Shatabdi Express, the nation’s first premium high-speed service, cutting New Delhi-Bhopal travel to 4 hours. Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi inaugurated the train, and the service achieved an average speed of 130 km/h, a 30 percent reduction versus conventional expresses. Just as the Shatabdi demonstrated that faster, limited-stop trains could reshape inter-city connectivity, today’s planned Bengaluru-Mumbai Vande Bharat sleeper aims to halve a 24-hour journey to under 16 hours. The precedent suggests that successful deployment could spur further high-speed corridors, prompting policy focus on rail-based economic integration across India’s tech hubs.

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Indian Railways Launches Sleeper

The Indian Railway Board will soon notify the Bengaluru-Mumbai Vande Bharat sleeper service.
It will be India’s second Vande Bharat sleeper train.
The train will run six days a week in both directions.
Journey time will be under 16 hours, halving the current 24-hour trip.
Depart Bengaluru 10 pm, arrive Mumbai 1:50 pm; return 10:30 pm, arrive Bengaluru 2:50 pm, stopping at Anantapur, Guntakal, Raichur, Kalaburagi, Kalyan, skipping Hubballi.

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