Prime Minister Narendra Modi Sunday inaugurated a Vande Bharat Express train from Bengaluru to Belagavi in Karnataka. The semi-high-speed train service will begin regular operations Monday, August 11, running six days a week and not operating on Wednesdays.
PM Modi flagged off the train from the Krantivira Sangolli Rayanna (KSR) Bengaluru station at 11.30 am. There were already seven Vande Bharat trains running from the Bengaluru station, and this will be the second Vande Bharat train for Belagavi.
Train No. 26751 Belagavi–KSR Bengaluru Vande Bharat Express will depart from Belagavi at 05.20 am and reach KSR Bengaluru at 1.50 pm. En route, it will arrive/depart at these stations: Dharwad (7.08 am/7.10 am), SSS Hubballi (7.30 am/7.35 am), SMM Haveri (8.35 am/08.37 am), Davangere (9.25 am/9.27 am), Tumakuru (12.15 am/12.17 am) and Yesvantpur (13.03 am/13.05 am).
In the return direction, train No. 26752 KSR Bengaluru–Belagavi Vande Bharat Express will depart from KSR Bengaluru at 2.20 pm and arrive at Belagavi at 10.40 pm. En route, it will arrive/depart at Yesvantpur (2.28 pm /2.30 pm), Tumakuru (3.03 pm/3.05 pm), Davangere (5.48 pm/5.50 pm), SMM Haveri (6.48 pm/6.50 pm), SSS Hubballi (8 pm/8.05 pm) and Dharwad (8.25 pm/8.27 pm).
The train will consist of eight coaches, including four motor cars, one trailer car, one executive class trailer car, and two driving trailer cars. This Vande Bharat Express is designed to offer faster, safer, and more comfortable travel for passengers, equipped with world-class amenities for an enhanced travel experience, said South Western Railway.
Flight vs Vande Bharat
The fare for travelling between Bengaluru and Belagavi on an AC chair car is Rs 1,575, and for an executive AC chair car is Rs 2,905. The flight cost between the two cities generally tends to be around Rs 4,600 to Rs 5,000. The Vande Bharat Express will take 8.18 hours to travel between Bengaluru and Belagavi, a distance of 611 km. The flight journey takes only 1 hour and 35 minutes. Indigo operates a non-stop flight daily between the two cities.
PM Modi flagged off two other Vande Bharat trains Sunday: Ajni (Nagpur) to Pune in Maharashtra, and Katra in Jammu and Kashmir to Amritsar in Punjab. Now, 75 Vande Bharat trains are operational across the country.