South Western Railway (SWR) has proposed to run the inaugural special of the Bengaluru-Mumbai Vande Bharat Sleeper Express on 1 November, the day Karnataka marks Rajyotsava.
If the plan goes through, it would bring a faster overnight rail link to one of the country's busiest corridors, where the main daily train still takes about a day.
The date for regular commercial services has not yet been notified, The Times of India reported, citing SWR sources.
Railway minister Ashwini Vaishnaw is expected to flag off the train, which would be the first Vande Bharat sleeper service in southern India.
The train, numbered 27651/27652, will have 16 coaches: 11 AC three-tier, four AC two-tier and one AC first-class. Total capacity will be 823 berths, according to the report.
Sources told the paper that fares for the 1,118-km journey could range from Rs 2,600 to Rs 4,250, depending on the class of travel.
The final fare structure has not been announced.
The main pull is time. The Udyan Express, the principal daily direct train between the two cities, takes around 24 hours. The Vande Bharat Sleeper is expected to cover the distance in about 16 hours.
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The proposed route runs reportedly through Anantapur, Guntakal, Raichur, Kalaburagi, Solapur and Kalyan before reaching Mumbai.
Long-Pending Demand
The service has been in the pipeline for months. Vaishnaw approved it in April in reply to a letter from Bengaluru Central MP PC Mohan, who had pointed out that trains on the route took 24 to 30 hours while buses managed it in 16 to 18.
In August, SWR commissioned two 16-coach trainsets built by BEML in Bengaluru under a programme led by the Integral Coach Factory in Chennai.
Several details are still open, including the regular schedule, the departure terminal and the final fares. The 1 November run is currently a proposal, and railway officials have not confirmed it.
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