Good News: Bengaluru-Madurai Vande Bharat Express to Hit Tracks Soon. Check Details

Bengaluru: In a major boost to travel infrastructure, the city will soon add a new train to its current Vande Bharat Express fleet. The train service is likely to begin in early July. However, an official notification regarding the commencement of services is still awaited. 

Initially scheduled to start on June 20, the premium train service was delayed due to a fatal train accident in West Bengal on June 17. The Southern Railway (SR) had in early June announced the introduction of this train which will run between SMVT Bengaluru and Madurai. A successful trail run of the train was also conducted earlier. 

For now, the SR is planning to run the train as a special service until the Railway Board approves its regular operation. Generally, a special train is run to cater to extra demand during peak seasons, however, the Vande Bharat train is rarely used for such purpose.  

At present, the Chennai Egmore-Nagercoil Vande Bharat Express is operating as a special train. The Bengaluru-Madurai Vande Bharat will be maintained at the Madurai Junction. Its operational speed and cost to avail the premium service will be known after the official notification is issued. 

Expected to be the fastest between the two cities, the Vande Bharat will cover a distance of 430 km in just eight hours, much faster than the current train that takes nine-and-a-half hours to cover the distance.  

Timings, stoppages & fares 

According to the tentative timetable, the train will leave Madurai at around 5.15 am and arrive at SMVT Bengaluru at 1.15 pm. In the return trip, the Vande train will depart from  SMVT Bengaluru at around 1.45 pm and reach Madurai at around 10.25 pm. The train will have stoppages at Dindigul, Tiruchirapalli, Karur and Salem. The chair-car fare for the Vande train is expected to be in the range of Rs 1200-1300, while the executive-class passengers are likely to pay Rs 1,800-2,000.

Tech Capital Bengaluru already boasts of several Vande Bharat trains running to Chennai/Mysuru, Dharwad, Kalaburagi, Hyderabad and Coimbatore. There are two Vande Bharat trains to Chennai/Mysuru. A Vande Bharat has also been proposed between Bengaluru and Ernakulam, which will further boost the city's rail network.