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Indian Railways is planning to introduce new Vande Bharat trains between Bengaluru and coastal Karnataka to make travel faster and more comfortable. Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw announced plans to start a Vande Bharat Express connecting coastal towns like Mangaluru and Karwar with Bengaluru, ideal for work, education, and tourism,
helping reduce travel time.
Hassan-Mangaluru Ghat Section
Currently, the railway line through the Hassan-Mangaluru ghat section has been fully electrified, and safety tests are going on. Once these tests are finished and approvals are received, the exact schedule for the new Vande Bharat trains will be announced. For these services, two Vande Bharat trainsets will be used, one starting from Bengaluru and the other one from the coastal region. This setup will help serve more places along the coast, reducing wait times for passengers.
12 Vande Bharat Trains to Operate
Karnataka already has around 12 Vande Bharat trains running on different routes. The new coastal services will add to this number and help strengthen the state's semi-high-speed rail network. In the 2026 Union Budget, railway projects in Karnataka received a much larger funding allocation, about ₹7,748 crore. This is a big increase compared to previous years and shows the government's focus on improving rail infrastructure in the state.
Many other rail projects are also taking shape in Karnataka, with over ₹52,900 crore worth of work underway. These include electrifying more tracks, building new stations, and modernizing existing facilities for better efficiency and passenger comfort.
There are also long-term plans for high-speed rail corridors, including between Bengaluru and Chennai, which would cut travel times significantly in the future.
