The electrification work in the ghat section between Hassan and Mangaluru is progressing rapidly, and a Vande Bharat Express will be introduced between Bengaluru and Mangaluru once the work is completed, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has said.
He added that the Railways plans to extend the service further to Karwar to connect the entire coastline with Bengaluru.
“The electrification work is progressing rapidly in the ghat section between Hassan and Mangaluru. After the completion of this work, a Vande Bharat train will be introduced between Bengaluru and Mangaluru. We have a plan to connect the entire coastline with Bengaluru by extending that train up to Karwar from Mangaluru,” Vaishnaw said during a press conference in Bengaluru on Saturday (7 February) while highlighting the strategic vision of the Union Budget 2026-27.
Sharing details of railway infrastructure development in Karnataka, the minister said a record railway budget allocation of ₹7,748 crore has been announced for the state, which is about 9 times the average allocation during the 2009-2014 period.
Vaishnaw also highlighted that two major high-speed rail projects originating from Bengaluru, to Chennai and Hyderabad, have been approved.
The Bengaluru-Chennai bullet train journey is expected to take about 73 minutes, while travel time to Hyderabad is estimated at around 2 hours.
Providing an update on urban rail mobility in Bengaluru, the minister noted that work on all four corridors of the Bengaluru Suburban Railway is progressing rapidly under new technical leadership using innovative pre-cast construction methods.
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