<p>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. </p>.<p>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. </p>.<p>A well-placed source in the South Western Railway (SWR) confirmed the development, but cautioned that discussions were still going on. </p>.<p>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. </p>.Stone-throwing incidents on Vande Bharat trains in Karnataka raise alarm.<p>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. </p>.<p>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. </p>.<p>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 <em>DH</em>, requesting anonymity. </p>.Bengaluru-Coimbatore Vande Bharat timings to change from March 11.<p>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. </p>.<p>He is hopeful business travellers and IT professionals in Bengaluru, many of whom opt for air service, would prefer the train. </p>.<p>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. </p>.<p>The current fastest train between the two cities is the Solapur-Hassan Express, which takes 9 hours and 10 minutes to cover 543 km. </p>.<p>A new direct train service between Kalaburagi and SMVT Bengaluru will be inaugurated on March 9, Jadhav said. </p>
<p>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. </p>.<p>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. </p>.<p>A well-placed source in the South Western Railway (SWR) confirmed the development, but cautioned that discussions were still going on. </p>.<p>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. </p>.Stone-throwing incidents on Vande Bharat trains in Karnataka raise alarm.<p>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. </p>.<p>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. </p>.<p>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 <em>DH</em>, requesting anonymity. </p>.Bengaluru-Coimbatore Vande Bharat timings to change from March 11.<p>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. </p>.<p>He is hopeful business travellers and IT professionals in Bengaluru, many of whom opt for air service, would prefer the train. </p>.<p>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. </p>.<p>The current fastest train between the two cities is the Solapur-Hassan Express, which takes 9 hours and 10 minutes to cover 543 km. </p>.<p>A new direct train service between Kalaburagi and SMVT Bengaluru will be inaugurated on March 9, Jadhav said. </p>