New Vande Bharat Express to connect Bengaluru and Goa in 13 hours
The Railway Board has approved the Yesvantpur-Madgaon-Yesvantpur Vande Bharat Express, which will travel through the Western Ghats.
The Railway Board approved the introduction of the Yesvantpur-Madgaon-Yesvantpur Vande Bharat Express on October 30, 2026, according to Business Today. The new service will connect Bengaluru to Goa, with the journey expected to last slightly more than 13 hours.
The train, numbered 2665526656, will operate as a chair car service six days a week. It will not run from Yesvantpur on Wednesdays or from Madgaon on Thursdays. While the service is approved, the official launch date and ticket prices have not been released.
The service will depart Yesvantpur at 7:35 am and reach Madgaon at 8:55 pm. For the return trip, the train is scheduled to leave Madgaon at 8:20 am and arrive in Yesvantpur at 9:15 pm.
The route includes stops at Shravanabelagola, Hassan, Sakleshpur, Subrahmanya Road, Kabaka Puttur, Mangaluru Junction, Udupi, Kundapura, Mookambika Road Byndoor, Murdeshwar, Gokarna Road, Karwar, and Thokur. The journey will pass through the Western Ghats between Sakleshpur and Subrahmanya Road.
Two Vande Bharat trainsets will be used for this service, with maintenance planned at Yesvantpur and Madgaon. Watering facilities will be provided at Mangaluru Junction. The Railway Board will also discontinue the existing Mangaluru Central-Madgaon Vande Bharat Express, numbered 2064520646, due to low passenger patronage.