Karnataka: Vande Bharat Express to connect Bengaluru with Hubballi-Dharwad by July

The railways is also considering the introduction of Vande Bharat trains on routes such as Bengaluru-Kacheguda in Hyderabad and Bengaluru-Coimbatore.

Karnataka is set to receive its second Vande Bharat Express, which will be operated on the Bengaluru-Hubballi-Dharwad route by July 2023.

Union minister of parliamentary affairs Pralhad Joshi met Union minister for railways Ashwini Vaishnaw in New Delhi on May 31, to discuss the introduction of this semi-high-speed train that will connect the IT capital with the twin cities.

Highly anticipated

Joshi, who is also the MP from Dharwad, said all necessary preparations for commencing the train service have been completed. "The railways minister has assured that the second Vande Bharat train in the state will be launched by July. The residents of the twin cities can soon look forward to experiencing this highly anticipated train travel," he said.

Originally, Vande Bharat Express on the Bengaluru-Hubballi-Dharwad route was planned to be launched from March 2023, but it was delayed due to the delay in electrification (down line) between Hubballi and Saunshi, as well as the Traction Substation (TSS). Additionally, shortage of Vande Bharat rakes and the implementation of the election model code of conduct due to Karnataka assembly polls led to the delay.

Route expansion

Initially, a trial run of the train on this route was scheduled for April 12, following the completion of electrification on the Bengaluru-Hubballi main line on March 31, 2023.

Once launched, this will be the second Vande Bharat Express in Karnataka, with the first one introduced on the Mysuru-Bengaluru-Chennai route in November 2022, operated by the Southern Railway.

The upcoming Vande Bharat Express will be the first rake of the South Western Railway (SWR).  The railways is also considering the introduction of Vande Bharat trains on routes such as Bengaluru-Kacheguda in Hyderabad and Bengaluru-Coimbatore.

SWR has also proposed to the railway board to increase the maximum permissible speed of trains on the Bengaluru-Hubballi route from the current 110 kmph to 130 kmph.

Once the tracks are strengthened to accommodate speeds of 130-160 kmph, trains can be operated at an average speed of 110-120 kmph. The speed of Vande Bharat trains is capped at 130 kmph, even though they exceeded 180 kmph during trial runs.