On Sunday, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw was in Bengaluru to flag off the new Vande Bharat Sleeper train from SMVT to Mumbai CSMT. While he was at it, he dropped another big announcement.
He said Karnataka will get a second Vande Bharat Sleeper train. This one will also go from Bengaluru to Mumbai, but it will take a different route — via Hubballi. The idea is to properly cover the northern parts of the state that have been waiting a long time for something like this.
Vaishnaw put it pretty clearly. He said the next Vande Bharat Sleeper for Karnataka will start from Bengaluru, connect all parts of northern Karnataka via Hubballi, and then head towards Pune and Mumbai. He mentioned that the route was decided after talking to Union Ministers Pralhad Joshi, HD Kumaraswamy, Somanna and the MPs from Bengaluru. So it wasn’t just a random decision.
The train that got flagged off on Sunday is the first one on the Bengaluru-Mumbai route. It’s South India’s first Vande Bharat Sleeper and the third in the whole country. It left SMVT Bengaluru and was scheduled to reach Mumbai early the next morning. Regular service starts soon after that. It will run six days a week. From Bengaluru it leaves at 7:45 in the evening and reaches CSMT Mumbai at 11:55 the next morning. Coming back, it leaves Mumbai in the evening and gets to Bengaluru around noon. No service on Mondays from Bengaluru side and Tuesdays from Mumbai.
This first train stops at Anantapur, Guntakal, Raichur, Yadgir, Kalaburagi, Solapur, Pune and Kalyan. It’s a 16-coach train with 823 berths — one First AC, four AC 2-tier and eleven AC 3-tier. The journey is supposed to take around 16 hours, which is a good chunk faster than the older trains that usually take 22 to 24 hours.
But the real news for a lot of people is this second train. North Karnataka has been asking for better connectivity for years. Places around Hubballi, and other towns in that region, will now have a proper modern sleeper option that goes all the way to Pune and Mumbai. Right now those areas don’t really have a world-class overnight train like this. Once this second one starts, it should make a big difference for people travelling for work, studies or family reasons.
Vaishnaw also said a regular Vande Bharat (the chair car one) between Bengaluru and Mangaluru should start in the next few weeks. Electrification and testing on that stretch are almost done. So coastal Karnataka is also getting some attention.
A bunch of ministers and local leaders were there for the flag-off — Pralhad Joshi, HD Kumaraswamy, V Somanna, Shobha Karandlaje and several Bengaluru MPs. The whole thing felt like a proper push for better trains in the state.
If you think about it, this makes sense. Bengaluru is the tech and startup hub, Mumbai is the financial capital. People keep moving between the two cities all the time. Having two different Vande Bharat Sleeper options — one through the existing route and one via Hubballi — means more choices and better coverage. North Karnataka especially stands to gain. Students, IT folks, traders, families visiting relatives — all of them should find it easier and more comfortable.
Of course, the exact stops, timings and start date for the Hubballi train haven’t been announced yet. The ministry will figure that out and let everyone know later. But the fact that they’ve already committed to it is what matters right now.
These Vande Bharat Sleeper trains are built for longer journeys. Better berths, proper air-conditioning, charging points, more space and modern safety features. For overnight travel, that kind of comfort makes a real difference. You get on in the evening, sleep properly, and reach the next day without feeling completely drained.
Karnataka has been getting more and more Vande Bharat services over the last few years. Adding sleeper versions on important long routes feels like the natural next step. And making sure North Karnataka isn’t left out is important. Too often the focus stays only on Bengaluru. This time they’re trying to spread it out a bit.
So yes — one Vande Bharat Sleeper is already running between Bengaluru and Mumbai. The second one is coming via Hubballi. For a lot of people in the state, especially up north, that’s genuinely good news. Looking forward to seeing the full details when they come out.
Sources:
Press Information Bureau release on the SMVT Bengaluru–Mumbai Vande Bharat Sleeper launch (1 November 2026)
The Indian Express coverage of Ashwini Vaishnaw’s announcement
The New Indian Express report from the SMVT event
Statements carried by The Hindu, Times of India, Deccan Herald and other national papers
@Rohit Manral