PM Modi to flag off Karnataka’s 2nd Vande Bharat Express today

Vande Bharat Express will operate for six days a week, except Tuesdays.

Karnataka’s exclusive Vande Bharat Express, which will link Bengaluru and Dharwad, will be flagged off by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday, according to the South Western Railway (SWR).

Karnataka’s second Vande Bharat Express, which will link Bengaluru and Dharwad, will be flagged off by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday, according to the South Western Railway (SWR). (HT)

A trial run of the express train was held successfully on June 19 from Krantivira Sangolli Rayanna (KSR) Bengaluru station to Dharwad and back.

This will be the second Vande Bharat train that will be flagged off by Modi in Karnataka, after launching the Mysuru-Bengaluru-Chennai Vande Bharat train in November last year. It was the first Vande Bharat Express for southern India.

Read | PM Modi to dedicate 5 new Vande Bharat trains tomorrow: Details here

The Dharwad-KSR Bengaluru Inaugural Special (train number 07305) will be flagged off at Dharwad at 10:30 am on June 27 and depart for KSR Bengaluru five minutes later. During the trial run, the express train successfully ran at a speed of up to 110 km/hour on the 350 km line of the total 489 km section.

The train will have a travel time of 6 hours and 25 minutes, about 30 minutes shorter than before. The train, with air-conditioned chair car and executive car, will stop only at Yeshwantpur, Davangere and Hubballi once it starts regular operations. Yeshwantpur, Davanagere and Hubballi would be the commercial stoppages, whereas the primary maintenance would be at the KSR Bengaluru.

It will operate for six days a week, except Tuesdays. Details of the fare structure are awaited.

Read here: Vande Bharat Express trains now operational on 17 routes in India. See full list

The express train will connect important cities in the state - Dharwad, Hubballi and Davangere with the state capital Bengaluru. It will immensely benefit tourists, students and industrialists, etc. in the region and will be about 30 minutes faster than the existing fastest train on the route, according to a statement by the Prime Minister’s office.

Read here: Mumbai-Goa Vande Bharat cancelled

During his meeting with Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnav on May 31, Union Minister Pralhad Joshi had said that all necessary preparations for the launch of the second Vande Bharat train have been completed. “All necessary preparations for the commencement of the train service have been completed. The Minister has promised to launch the Second Vande Bharat train in the state by July,” he had said.

The launch of Vande Bharat Express between Bengaluru and Hubballi – Dharwad has been on cards for a while but it has been delayed due to the electrification of downline between both the cities.