Bengaluru-Mangaluru Vande Bharat trial set for August 18 to 22

The Story in Brief

South Western Railway will test a 20-coach Vande Bharat train in the Sakleshpur-Subrahmanya Road Ghat section from August 18 to 22, Deccan Herald reports. The Mysuru railway division will conduct the trial in the Western Ghats before authorities decide the launch date. The train has an Automated Emergency Braking system, described as a first for Karnataka, for safety on steep gradients.

The 55-km section has a 1 in 50 gradient, 57 tunnels, 226 bridges and 108 sharp curves. Electrification was completed on December 28, 2025, but landslides remain a risk. Railway sources cited by Deccan Herald say the service could extend the existing Mangaluru-Madgaon Vande Bharat. Travel between Bengaluru and Mangaluru could take seven hours or less, about an hour faster than the current quickest train.

The Indian Opinion

Claims that the train is already guaranteed to transform this route get ahead of the evidence. The trial must first prove that a fast, heavy train can run safely through a section with sharp curves, tunnels and recent landslides. Nor should a one-hour saving be treated as assured until the timetable is published. The real test is whether regular service remains reliable through the monsoon, not just whether the train completes five trial days.

Source: deccanherald.com

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