Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw to flag off Goa-Mangaluru-Bengaluru Vande Bharat Express, tour Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts on November 13

Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw. | Photo Credit: Sushil Kumar Verma Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw will visit Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts on November 13 to launch the Goa-Mangaluru-Bengaluru (Madgaon-Yesvantpur) Vande Bharat Express at Mangaluru Junction, and to dedicate a few development projects to the nation.According to Dakshina Kannada Member of Parliament Captain Brijesh Chowta, Mr. Vaishnaw will arrive in Mangaluru on his first-ever visit to the region on November 12 night. He will flag off the VB Express at noon and travel by the same train till Subrahmanya Road station. En route, he would interact with passengers at Kabaka Puttur. His visit to the region is expected to usher in a new era of railway infrastructure development, the MP said.Capt. Chowta said the new Vande Bharat Express is expected to considerably reduce the travel time between Bengaluru and Mangaluru thereby promoting business, tourism, and other commercial activities.Udupi visitAccording to Udupi-Chikkamagaluru MP Kota Srinivas Poojary, the Railway Minister will inspect Udupi Railway Station at 8.45 a.m. on November 13, followed by a visit to Sri Krishna Mutt at 9 a.m. As the Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting, he would inaugurate a new FM Station near Ajjarkad in Udupi city at 10 a.m. before proceeding to Mangaluru.Schedule in MangaluruIn Mangaluru, Mr. Vaishnaw is expected to hold a review meeting at the Deputy Commissioner’s office at 10.30 a.m., inspect Mangaluru Central Railway Station, flag off the VB Express along with Prime Minister Narendra Modi (through video conferencing) at noon, and travel to Subrahmanya Road by the inaugural special VB Express.During his visit to Subrahmanya, Mr. Vaishnaw would dedicate the newly-electrified 55-km Subrahmanya Road-Sakleshpur ghat section and the Subrahmanya Road Railway Station building, redeveloped under the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme, to the nation. Published - November 12, 2026 02:25 pm IST