The Bengaluru-Mangaluru Vande Bharat Express will cut travel time between the two cities by up to 9 hours, said Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw. The semi-high-speed train is expected to start within the next few weeks after electrification and testing on the route are complete.

On September 10 the train completed its second trial run, taking about 7 hours from Bengaluru to Mangaluru; the return trial took 6 hours 49 minutes. The first trial was delayed by nearly two hours in the Sakleshpur-Subrahmanya Road ghat section.

Current trains on the route take significantly longer. The KSR Bengaluru-Kannur Express takes about 9 hours 3 minutes to 9 hours 23 minutes; the Yesvantpur-Karwar Express takes 9 hours 35 minutes, and the SMVT Bengaluru-Murudeshwar Express covers about 12 hours 45 minutes. The weekly Yesvantpur-Mangaluru Central Express takes over 16 hours.

The Vande Bharat Express is likely to be flagged off on November 13 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw. It will have 12 halts, excluding the originating and terminating stations, and will run from Yeshwantpur instead of SMVTB.

The Yeshwantpur-Madgaon service is scheduled to leave Yeshwantpur at 7.35 a.m., and the Madgaon-Yeshwantpur service will depart Madgaon at 8.20 a.m.