India’s second Vande Bharat Sleeper Express between KSR Bengaluru and Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus is set to begin operations soon after receiving Railway Board approval.
The exact timetable, launch date and flag-off details are still being finalised, though services may start later this month. The overnight train is expected to cut travel time between the two cities to less than 16 hours, compared with the existing Udyan Express that takes around 24 hours on average.
The service is planned to run six days a week. The train from Bengaluru is likely to operate on all days except Mondays, while the Mumbai–Bengaluru service will run daily except Tuesdays.
Departure from Bengaluru is scheduled for 10 pm, with arrival at CSMT at 1:50 pm the next day. The return train will leave CSMT at 10:30 pm and reach Bengaluru at 2:50 pm the following afternoon.
The route will stop at Anantapur, Raichur, Guntakal, Kalaburagi, Solapur, Pune and Kalyan, and will not pass through Hubballi. Two Vande Bharat sleeper trainsets will be used, with Solapur and Pune identified for watering and terminal arrangements.
Passengers can expect modern amenities including CCTV surveillance, automatic sliding doors, bio-vacuum toilets, onboard catering, digital information displays, sensor-based water taps, mobile charging points, the indigenous Kavach automatic train protection system and emergency talk-back facilities.
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