It’s official: PM Modi and Railway Minister to announce Bengaluru-Mangaluru-Goa VB Express on November 13

A brand new 16-car Vande Bharat rake is ready for the inaugural run of the Madgaon-Yeshwantpur VB Express from Mangaluru Junction on November 11, 2026. | Photo credit: HS MANJUNATH

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw are likely to launch the Yeshwantpur-Mangaluru-Madgaon-Yeshwantpur Vande Bharat Express from Bengaluru and Mangaluru Junction simultaneously on November 13. Regular VB Express connections from both locations (train no. 26655/656) will start from November 15.

The Railway Board has prepared two brand new 16-car Vande Bharat rakes in orange for the inauguration as well as regular services. The rakes are housed in Bengaluru and Mangaluru before being phased out.

In Bengaluru, Mr. Modi will dedicate the 7.5 km Pink Namma Metro route between Kalena Agrahara and Tavarekere along Bannerghatta Road. During the occasion, the Prime Minister will also remotely flag the Bengaluru-Goa Vande Bharat Express from the Sir M Visvesvaraya Terminal in Bengaluru. However, regular services will operate outside Yeshwantpur.

Mr. Vaishnaw will start a new service from Mangaluru Junction. Both the down and up inaugural specials would run simultaneously towards Madgaon and Bengaluru. The inaugural Yeshwantpur-Madgaon special would reach Mangaluru Junction at 9:00 PM, Udupi at 9:30 PM and Karwar at 1:22 AM and then Madgaon at 2:55 AM. The inaugural Mangaluru-Yeshwantpur special would reach Yeshwantpur at 9 p.m.

On 29 September, the Railway Minister announced that the Department would introduce the Yeshwantpur-Mangaluru-Madgaon-Yeshwantpur Vande Bharat Express as Train No. 26655/656 by extending the existing Mangaluru Central-Madgaon-Mangaluru Central VB Express (Train No. 20646/645). The Mangaluru Central-Madgaon-Mangaluru Central VB Express will be discontinued from November 15, the Ministry of Railways said.

12 stops

The Bengaluru-Madgaon VB Express would have 12 stops, excluding the origin and terminus. They are Shravanabelagola, Hassan, Sakleshpur, Subrahmanya Road, Kabaka Puttur, Mangaluru Junction, Udupi, Kundapura, Byndoor, Murdeshwar, Gokarna Road and Karwar.

While the Yeshwantpur-Madgaon service leaves Yeshwantpur at 7:35 AM and reaches Madgaon at 8:55 PM except Wednesdays at 12:20 PM, the Madgaon-Yeshwantpur service departs from Madgaon at 8:20 AM and reaches Yeshwantpur at 9:15 PM except Thursdays at 1:00 PM.

Slowest VB in India

These services would have the advantage of being the longest running Vande Bharat car service among 82 pairs of such services in India. Not only that, the services would also be the slowest of all VB services in the country, averaging 54 km/h in the down direction and 53 km/h in the up direction.

Published – 10 Nov 2026 13:25 IST