Pramesh S Jain
In a significant stride toward strengthening India’s high-speed rail infrastructure,Prime Minister Narendra Modi today flagged off three new Vande Bharat Express trains from KSR Bengaluru Railway Station at 11:00 AM.
The inauguration included the highly anticipated Bengaluru–Belagavi Vande Bharat Express,along with the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra–Amritsar and Ajni (Nagpur)–Pune services, which were launched virtually.
Upon his arrival,the Prime Minister was received with warmth and enthusiasm by Union Minister for Railways, Ashwini Vaishnaw and Minister of State for Railways V. Somanna.
During his visit,the Prime Minister took the opportunity to interact with schoolchildren who had boarded the train to be part of the historic occasion,and took a moment to appreciate the loco pilots,acknowledging their critical role in transforming India’s railway network.
The Bengaluru–Belagavi Vande Bharat Express received a heartfelt welcome at various stations along its route, including Yesvantpur,Tumakuru,Davangere,Haveri,and SSS Hubballi,where locals and travelers expressed joy and pride at the arrival of this modern high-speed service.
Passengers described their journey as a thrilling and refreshing new experience,marking a new era of rail travel in Karnataka.
With the launch of this train,Karnataka now hosts eleven Vande Bharat services,reflecting the state’s growing importance in the national transportation network.
Covering a distance of 611 kilometers in just 8 hours and 30 minutes,the new service offers a substantial reduction in travel time approximately 1 hour and 20 minutes from KSR Bengaluru to Belagavi and around 1 hour and 40 minutes on the return trip making it a faster and more convenient option compared to existing trains.
The flagging-off ceremony was attended by a host of prominent dignitaries,including the Governor of Karnataka,Thaawarchand Gehlot,Chief Minister, Siddaramaiah,Union Minister,Ashwini Vaishnaw,Union Minister of State,V. Somanna,Karnataka’s Minister for Health and Family Welfare,Dinesh Gundu Rao,and Member of Parliament from Bengaluru Central,P.C. Mohan,Chairman & CEO Railway Board,Satish Kumar, General Manager of SWR,Mukul Saran Mathur.
Regular operations for the Bengaluru–Belagavi Vande Bharat Express will commence from August 11,2025.
The train,numbered 26751 in the Belagavi to Bengaluru direction,will depart Belagavi at 5:20 AM and arrive at KSR Bengaluru at 1:50 PM,with stops at Dharwad,SSS Hubballi,SMM Haveri, Davangere,Tumakuru, and Yesvantpur.
On the return leg, train number 26752 will leave KSR Bengaluru at 2:20 PM and reach Belagavi at 10:40 PM, halting at the same stations weelky six days (Except wednesday).
