Yesvantpur-Madgaon Vande Bharat Launch: 13 Trains Affected
The new Yesvantpur-Madgaon Vande Bharat Express launches in Nov 2026, affecting 13 trains and 15,000 passengers due to schedule revisions.
The upcoming launch of the Yesvantpur–Madgaon Vande Bharat Express is set to transform travel between Bengaluru and Goa. However, this new high-speed service comes with significant adjustments to existing rail schedules, impacting approximately 15,000 regular passengers.
New Service Schedule and Route
Scheduled to begin operations in the third week of November 2026, the Yesvantpur–Madgaon Vande Bharat Express (Train Nos. 26655/26656) will run six days a week. The service will not operate from Yesvantpur on Wednesdays or from Madgaon on Thursdays. The new route will connect the two cities via the scenic Western Ghats.
- Train 26655: Departs Yesvantpur at 07:35 AM and is scheduled to reach Madgaon at 08:55 PM.
- Train 26656: Departs Madgaon at 08:20 AM and is scheduled to arrive in Yesvantpur at 09:15 PM.
Discontinuation and Passenger Impact
To accommodate this new route, the Railway Board has decided to discontinue the existing Madgaon–Mangaluru Central Vande Bharat Express (20645/20646). Furthermore, railway authorities are implementing schedule revisions for 13 existing trains to prioritize the new Vande Bharat service, a move that is expected to affect 15,000 regular commuters.
The Challenge of the Ghat Section
Operational adjustments are largely necessitated by the challenging 55-km Sakleshpur–Subrahmanya Road ghat section. For safety reasons, South Western Railway officials have confirmed that all trains passing through this specific stretch are restricted to a maximum speed of 30 kmph.
Which Trains are Affected?
Several long-distance services on this corridor will face timing shifts or speed reductions:
- Mangaluru Junction–Yeshwantpur Gomteshwara Express (16576): The departure from Mangaluru will shift to 11:40 AM, resulting in a later arrival in Bengaluru at 10:15 PM.
- Karwar–Yeshwantpur Express (16516): The arrival in Bengaluru will be delayed from 8:50 PM to 10:15 PM.
- Yeshwantpur–Hassan Superfast Express (22679): This service will see its average speed reduced to below 55 kmph.
Other trains operating on the corridor will face en-route regulations, leading to delays ranging between 10 and 25 minutes.