Bengaluru division to upgrade Yelahanka-Dharmavaram rail section to 130 kmph by March

Vande Bharat

• Yelahanka-Dharmavaram rail section to be upgraded for 130 kmph by March 2026
• Over 40 passenger and freight trains to benefit from the speed upgrade
• Quadrupling of Bengaluru Cantonment–Whitefield section expected by June 2026

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Bengaluru division of South Western Railway (SWR) will upgrade Yelahanka-Dharmavaram rail section to support a maximum speed of 130 kmph by March, up from the current of 110 kmph.

The 161-km corridor is expected to benefit more than 40 passenger and freight trains operating on the route.

Phased upgrade in speed

Bengaluru Divisional Railway manager Ashutosh K Singh told Moneycontrol that Yelahanka-Dharmavaram section is being upgraded as part of the railways’ phased plan to enhance speeds across major routes.

“Yelahanka–Dharmavaram section will be upgraded to 130 kmph by March 2026. This line will become the second section in Bengaluru division to be upgraded to 130 kmph, after Bengaluru–Jolarpettai section,” Singh said.

The railways is focusing on upgrading sections from 110 kmph to 130 kmph in the first phase, with a further enhancement to 160 kmph when feasible.

Also read: Bengaluru’s urban railway upgrade to connect key tech corridors on slow track

Trains and routes to benefit

The higher speed is expected to benefit more than 40 trains, including services connecting Bengaluru to north Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Odisha and West Bengal.

This includes Yeswantpur-Kacheguda Vande Bharat Express, which operates on part of the corridor.

Also read: Bengaluru’s Yelahanka may get China-style elevated railway terminal

Other sections lined up

SWR is also planning speed upgrades for other major corridors, including the Bengaluru–Sampige Road (Tumakuru) section and the Chikkabanavara-Hassan section.

However, Singh said upgrading the Bengaluru-Mysuru section will be challenge due to the presence of multiple curves.

KN Krishna Prasad, railway activist and founder member of the NGO Karnataka Railway Vedike, told Moneycontrol that higher speed would help trains reach Bengaluru quicker and improve connectivity to major destinations such as Hyderabad, Mumbai, Delhi, Jaipur, Ahmedabad, Jodhpur, Varanasi, Lucknow and Visakhapatnam.

Faster movement of goods trains would help decongest the line, indirectly benefiting passenger services, he said but cautioned that the full benefits of the speed upgrade would be realised only if bottlenecks at terminal stations and adjoining sections are addressed.

Also, read: Bengaluru railway division achieves 100% electrification of broad gauge network

“Platform constraints at Bengaluru stations, along with pending line doubling and quadrupling works, continue to affect train punctuality”, he said.

“With railways planning a terminal at Yelahanka and the area emerging as a hub due to the airport and rapid urban growth, enhanced speed could strengthen the case for developing Yelahanka as city’s fourth terminal. SWR should also operate MEMU services to and from Yelahanka to improve last-mile connectivity,” Prasad added.

Also read: Bengaluru-Chennai travel time on Vande Bharat set to reduce to 4 hours

Rail works underway

Singh said quadrupling of the Bengaluru Cantonment–Whitefield section is expected to be completed by June 2026. “This section was complicated as it passes through core city areas. We are expecting Whitefield-Bangarpet quadrupling work to be sanctioned soon. Once approved, it can be executed by March 2028 as it is not a complicated section,” he said.

The completion of these works will allow SWR to operate more MEMU services in the region.