B'luru-Dharwad VB Express inaugural run set for June 27

NT Correspondent

Bengaluru: South Western Railways (SWR) officials have announced that the first journey of the Bengaluru-Dharwad Vande Bharat Express train is expected to take place on June 27.

Aneesh Hegde, Chief Public Relations Officer (CPRO) at SWR, stated that the inaugural run is likely to commence from Dharwad on that day, followed by regular services. PM Narendra Modi is anticipated to launch the second Vande Bharat Express train in Karnataka on June 27, although an official confirmation is still pending.

Meanwhile, the fare structure for the Bengaluru-Dharwad Vande Bharat Express train is yet to be finalized, Hegde mentioned.

Successful trial run

On June 19, the SWR conducted a successful trial run of the express train from Krantivira Sangolli Rayanna (KSR) Bengaluru station to Dharwad and back, as stated in an SWR statement.

The express train will cover a distance of 489 km and operate six days a week, excluding Tuesdays.

Timetable and features

According to SWR, the 20661 KSR Bengaluru CityDharwad Vande Bharat Express will depart from Bengaluru at 5:45 am and reach Dharwad at 12:10 pm, passing through Yeshwantpur, Davanagere, and SSS Hubballi.

From Dharwad, the 20662 KSR Bengaluru City-Dharwad Vande Bharat Express will depart at 1:15 pm and arrive in Bengaluru at 7:45 pm, via SSS Hubballi, Davanagere, and Yeshwantpur. Yeshwantpur, Davanagere, and SSS Hubballi will serve as commercial stoppages, while primary maintenance will be conducted at KSR Bengaluru with Roundtrip Brake Power Certificate (RBPC), as confirmed by SWR.

The Bengaluru-Dharwad Vande Bharat Express train, with eight coaches and 530 seats, has the potential to reduce travel time by 30-45 minutes compared to other trains on the same route, according to Sanjeev Kishore, the general manager of SWR. During the trial run, the express train achieved speeds of up to 110 km/hr on a 350 km stretch of the total 489 km section.

SWR stated that efforts are ongoing to increase the entire section's speed potential to 110 km/hr.