Bengaluru, Nov 1 (IANS) Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Sunday flagged off the Vande Bharat Sleeper Express connecting Bengaluru and Mumbai from Sir M. Visvesvaraya Terminal (SMVT) here on the occasion of Kannada Rajyotsava.
Union Minister of State for Railways V. Somanna, Union Ministers Pralhad Joshi and H.D. Kumaraswamy, Union Minister of State Shobha Karandlaje, BJP MPs Tejasvi Surya, P.C. Mohan and C.N. Manjunath, and BJP Rajya Sabha members Lahar Singh Siroya and Jaggesh were present at the inaugural event.
Vaishnaw cheered and waved to people gathered at the railway station. The dignitaries also toured the newly introduced train, inspected its facilities and interacted with passengers.
Speaking to the media, Vaishnaw congratulated the people of Karnataka and Bengaluru on the launch of the service on Kannada Rajyotsava.
“On the occasion of Kannada Rajyotsava, the Vande Bharat Sleeper service between Bengaluru and Mumbai is being launched. This is a very good train and will connect the technological capital Bengaluru with the financial capital Mumbai. This will be the third Vande Bharat service,” he said.
He said several new features had been incorporated into the train during its design, keeping passenger convenience and safety in mind. Special facilities have been provided for locomotive pilots, while additional features have been introduced to make climbing berths easier. Facilities for persons with disabilities have also been incorporated, he added.
Union Minister of State for Railways V. Somanna thanked Vaishnaw for his cooperation and said the initiative was in line with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s policy of ensuring that foundation stones for projects and their inaugurations are undertaken by the same government.
He said railway connectivity in North Karnataka and the central and southern regions had received considerable attention under the present Union government.
“More than Rs 52,000 crore has been spent on railway development in Karnataka over the last five years. Across India, 14,000 railway overbridges have been constructed, including more than 900 in Karnataka. This demonstrates the importance being given to Karnataka and other states,” Somanna said.
He added that railways and highways remained priority sectors for the BJP-led government.
The Vande Bharat Sleeper Express will have a total capacity of 823 passengers. It will comprise 11 AC three-tier coaches accommodating 611 passengers, four AC two-tier coaches with a capacity of 188 passengers and one first AC coach accommodating 24 passengers.
The overnight service is expected to improve connectivity between the two major cities and reduce travel time. The South Western Railway (SWR) zone will operate and maintain the service.
According to SWR, the train will operate under two numbers: 27652 (SMVT Bengaluru-CSMT Mumbai) and 27651 (CSMT Mumbai-SMVT Bengaluru). The service will operate six days a week, except Mondays for the Bengaluru-Mumbai journey and Tuesdays for the return journey.
Train No. 27652 will depart from SMVT Bengaluru at 7.45 p.m. and reach Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT), Mumbai, at 11.55 a.m. the following day, covering the journey in approximately 16 hours.
On the return journey, Train No. 27651 will leave CSMT Mumbai at 8.10 p.m. and arrive at SMVT Bengaluru at noon the next day.
–IANS
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