Bengaluru, November 1, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Sunday flagged off the Vande Bharat Sleeper Express connecting Bengaluru and Mumbai from Sir M. Visvesvaraya Terminal (SMVT), Bengaluru, on the occasion of Kannada Rajyotsava.
Union Minister of State for Railways V. Somanna, Union Ministers Pralhad Joshi and H.D. Kumaraswamy, Union Minister of State Shobha Karandlaje, BJP MPs Tejasvi Surya, P.C. Mohan and C.N. Manjunath, and BJP Rajya Sabha members Lahar Singh Siroya and Jaggesh attended the inaugural event.
Vaishnaw waved to people gathered at the railway station, while the dignitaries toured the newly introduced train, inspected its facilities and interacted with passengers.
Congratulating the people of Karnataka and Bengaluru on the launch, Vaishnaw said the service would connect Bengaluru, the country’s technological capital, with Mumbai, its financial capital.
“On the occasion of Kannada Rajyotsava, the Vande Bharat Sleeper service between Bengaluru and Mumbai is being launched. This is a very good train and will connect the technological capital Bengaluru with the financial capital Mumbai. This will be the third Vande Bharat service,” he said.
The Railway Minister said several features had been incorporated into the train’s design with passenger convenience and safety in mind. These include special facilities for locomotive pilots, features to make access to berths easier and provisions for persons with disabilities.
Somanna thanked Vaishnaw for his cooperation and said the initiative reflected Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s policy of ensuring that projects whose foundation stones are laid by a government are also inaugurated by the same government.
He said railway connectivity in North Karnataka, as well as the central and southern regions of the state, had received considerable attention under the present Union government.
“More than Rs 52,000 crore has been spent on railway development in Karnataka over the last five years. Across India, 14,000 railway overbridges have been constructed, including more than 900 in Karnataka. This demonstrates the importance being given to Karnataka and other states,” Somanna said.
He added that railways and highways remained priority sectors for the BJP-led government.
The Vande Bharat Sleeper Express will have a total capacity of 823 passengers. It will comprise 11 AC three-tier coaches with accommodation for 611 passengers, four AC two-tier coaches with a capacity of 188 passengers, and one first AC coach accommodating 24 passengers.
The overnight service is expected to improve connectivity between the two cities and reduce travel time. The South Western Railway (SWR) zone will operate and maintain the train.
According to SWR, the service will operate under two train numbers: 27652 for the SMVT Bengaluru-CSMT Mumbai journey and 27651 for the return journey.
The train will operate six days a week, except Mondays for the Bengaluru-Mumbai service and Tuesdays for the return journey.
Train No. 27652 will depart from SMVT Bengaluru at 7.45 p.m. and arrive at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT), Mumbai, at 11.55 a.m. the following day, completing the journey in approximately 16 hours.
On the return leg, Train No. 27651 will leave CSMT Mumbai at 8.10 p.m. and reach SMVT Bengaluru at noon the next day.
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