Representative image of a Vande Bharat train.
Credit: PTI Photo
Karnataka is set to get its third Vande Bharat Express on September 25, linking the tech hubs of Bengaluru and Hyderabad, railway officials said on Wednesday.
The premium, semi-high-speed train will take 8.30 hours at an average speed of 71.74 kmph to cover 609.81 km between Yeshwantpur and Kacheguda, an hour faster than the current fastest train (Duronto Express). However, it will not stop at any other station in Karnataka. Railway enthusiasts had hoped that the train would run via Raichur and stop at Yelahanka.
The train will be operated by the Secunderabad-headquartered South Central Railway (SCR) and will have its primary maintenance at Kacheguda. It will be flagged off at Kacheguda on September 24 and will stop at almost all major stops en route that day. Commercial operations will begin the next day, an official in the SCR said.
Kusuma Hariprasad, Additional Divisional Railway Manager, Bengaluru, South Western Railway (SWR), hoped that the train would be a faster and more comfortable mode of transport for thousands of passengers travelling between the two cities every day.
The Railway Board has yet to notify the exact timings and fare, a source in the SWR said.
A trial run will be conducted on Thursday. The train will arrive at Yeshwantpur at 2 pm from Kacheguda before leaving at 2.45 pm on its way back.
K N Krishna Prasad of the Karnataka Railway Vedike said the train wouldn't benefit the state much. "It would be better if the train runs via Raichur and covers the Kalyana Karnataka region," he said.
Credit: DH Inforgraphic
He also asked for a stop at Yelahanka, saying that would help passengers travelling to and from the Bengaluru airport.
This will be the third Vande Bharat Express for both Karnataka and Telangana. Karnataka's first two Vande Bharat trains link Mysuru with Chennai via Bengaluru, and Bengaluru with Dharwad. Telangana's first two Vande Bharat trains connect Secunderabad with Visakhapatnam and Tirupati.
B'luru-Hyderabad VB
Distance: 609.81 km (double line: 355.03 km; single line: 254.78 km)
Travel time: 8.30 hours
Frequency: 6 days a week (no service on Weds)
No of coaches: 16 (14 chair cars, 2 executive classes)
Timetable
Train number 20703 (Kacheguda-Yeshwantpur): Kacheguda 5.30 am; Mahbubnagar 7 am; Kurnool City 8.40 am; Anantapur 10.55 am; Dharmavaram 11.30 am & Yeshwanthpur 2 pm.
Train number 20704 (Yeshwantpur-Kacheguda): Yeshwantpur 2.45 pm; Dharmavaram 5.20 pm; Anantapur 5.41 pm; Kurnool City 7.51 pm; Mahbubnagar 9.40 pm & Kacheguda 11.15 pm.