Bengaluru - Dharwad Vande Bharat Express to be extended till Belagavi

Vande Bharat Express to Connect Bengaluru and Belagavi in Karnataka

The Bengaluru – Dharwad Vande Bharat Express is all set to be extended till Belagavi in north Karnataka, announced the Railway Ministry. This is expected to speed up and enhance the commute between the capital city and north Karnataka region.

Bengaluru - Dharwad Vande Bharat Express to be extended till Belagavi

In an announcement, Union minister of state for railways Darshana Jardosh said, “For the convenience of our passengers, three Vande Bharat Express trains are extended to the following destinations. Extension of 20661/62 KSR Bengaluru-Dharwad Vande Bharat Express upto Belgavi. Extension OF 22925/26 Ahmedabad-Jamnagar Vande Bharat Express upto Udhna. Extension OF 22549/50 Gorakhpur-Lucknow Vande Bharat Express up to Prayagraj.” The extension is likely to be implemented by the end of November.

In October, Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah urged the Union railways minister Ashwini Vaishnaw for this much needed extension as the northern part of Karnataka is in need of better public transport to the capital city. He wrote, “I request you to extend the Bengaluru to Hubballi-Dharwad Vande Bharat train service up to Belagavi city. This will significantly boost the connectivity between the states of Karnataka, Goa and Maharashtra.”

In the past, MLC Prakash Hukkeri too appealed to the Railway Ministry for extending the Vande Bharat Express to Belagavi.

In June, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had virtually flagged off Bengaluru – Dharwad Vande Bharat Express. The train route distance between Bengaluru and Dharwad is 489 kilometres and it travels at an average speed of 70 kmph. The express connects important cities in the state - Dharwad, Hubballi and Davangere with the state capital Bengaluru.

The Vande Bharat Express will reportedly take 7 hours 45 minutes to reach Belagavi from Bengaluru and it will be the fastest existing train to travel between the two cities of Karnataka.