Vande Bharat Express
Credit: DH Photo
Bengaluru: Kalyana Karnataka is all set to get its first Vande Bharat Express, with the railways planning to start the premium train service between Kalaburagi and KSR Bengaluru.
The news was announced on Thursday by Gulbarga MP Umesh Jadhav. He said Prime Minister Narendra Modi would launch the train service on March 12.
A well-placed source in the South Western Railway (SWR) confirmed the development, but cautioned that discussions were still going on.
The train will likely start from Kalaburagi around 5.30 am and reach KSR Bengaluru around 2 pm. The return journey will start at 2.30 pm and end at Kalaburagi at 11 pm, the source said.
While crucial details like route and fare are still being finalised, the train is expected to have stoppages at Raichur, Guntakal, Anantapur and Dharmavaram. The fare for a chair car seat could be Rs 1,500.
An official from the Central Railway's Solapur division said they had received instructions to prepare for the inaugural function on March 12 and were awaiting more details.
According to the official, the train will be maintained at Bengaluru because the Kalaburagi station doesn't have the necessary facilities. "It will be similar to the Solapur-Mumbai CST Vande Bharat Express, which starts at Solapur but is maintained in Mumbai," the official told DH, requesting anonymity.
Sunil Kulkarni, president of the Kalyana Karnataka Grahakara Vedike, said the train would fulfil the long-pending dream of fast train connectivity between Kalyana Karnataka and Bengaluru.
He is hopeful business travellers and IT professionals in Bengaluru, many of whom opt for air service, would prefer the train.
Air travel takes around four hours, including checking and airport transfer. The Vande Bharat will cover the distance in eight hours at less than half the cost, Kulkarni added.
The current fastest train between the two cities is the Solapur-Hassan Express, which takes 9 hours and 10 minutes to cover 543 km.
A new direct train service between Kalaburagi and SMVT Bengaluru will be inaugurated on March 9, Jadhav said.