VB trial run on Subrahmanya Road-Sakleshpur ghat section over; SWR awaits new 16-car rake for regular run

A Vande Bharat rake traverses through the Sakleshpur-Subrahmanya Road ghat section. | Photo Credit: File Photo The stage is set for the introduction of a Vande Bharat (VB) Express service between Bengaluru and Mangaluru after the Research, Design and Standards Organisation (RDSO) under the Ministry of Railways successfully conducted a trial run on the Sakleshpur-Subrahmanya Road ghat section of the Hassan-Mangaluru line from August 12 to 19.The trial runs were conducted on August 12–14 and 17–19 by an RDSO team from Lucknow with a 20-car VB rake fitted with an Automatic Emergency Brake (AEB) system. The AEB was required to prevent the train from exceeding 30 kmph in the ghat section, as mandated by the Commissioner of Railway Safety for all trains traversing the stretch, which has a steep gradient of 1 in 50.The South Western Railway’s (SWR) Mysuru division, which manages the stretch, is now awaiting the arrival of a 16-car rake fitted with an AEB from the Integral Coach Factory, Chennai. The rake used for the trial was not meant for this route, Mysuru Divisional Railway Manager Mudit Mittal told The Hindu.On August 18, SWR General Manager P. Ananth travelled on the trial rake between Sakleshpur and Subrahmanya Road to witness the run.Route yet to be declaredHowever, the final route, timings, and halts for the proposed VB Express between Bengaluru and coastal Karnataka are yet to be declared by the Ministry of Railways.With the ghat section alone taking two-and-a-half hours to traverse, the VB Express is unlikely to have a quick run between Bengaluru and Mangaluru. Once introduced, the service is expected to take at least eight hours (two-and-a-half hours for the ghats, three-and-a-half hours for Bengaluru-Sakleshpur, and two hours for Subrahmanya Road-Mangaluru), compared to the nine-and-a-half hours taken by conventional trains.While some demand that the service operate strictly between Bengaluru and Mangaluru, others want it extended to Karwar or Madgaon to cover the entire coastal Karnataka region. There is also talk of merging the existing Mangaluru Central-Madgaon-Mangaluru Central VB Express with the proposed train. Published - August 30, 2026 06:48 pm IST