What Happened
- Indian Railways is planning to launch a new Vande Bharat Express service connecting Bengaluru and Mangaluru, with extension to Karwar along Karnataka's coastal belt.
- Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw confirmed that the service will be launched after the completion of electrification and safety certifications on the route.
- The new service will be maintained by the South Western Railway (SWR) zone and aims to serve tourists, students, and business travellers along the coastal Karnataka corridor.
- Karnataka has received a record budget allocation of Rs 7,748 crore for railway infrastructure, reflecting the state's growing significance in the national rail development plan.
- As of February 2026, 78 Vande Bharat train services are operational across India, including 18 twenty-car, 17 sixteen-car, and 43 eight-car configurations.
Static Topic Bridges
Vande Bharat Express: India's Indigenous Semi-High Speed Rail Programme
The Vande Bharat Express is India's indigenously designed and manufactured semi-high speed train, built by the Integral Coach Factory (ICF) in Chennai under the Make in India initiative. The first Vande Bharat service, between New Delhi and Varanasi, was flagged off on 15 February 2019. The trains are self-propelling Electric Multiple Units (EMUs), unlike conventional locomotive-hauled trains, enabling faster acceleration and deceleration.
- Maximum speed achieved during trial runs: 183 km/h; maximum operational speed: 160 km/h (on the Tughlakabad-Agra section).
- 78 Vande Bharat services are operational as of February 2026, with configurations of 8, 16, and 20 coaches.
- Features include automatic plug doors, sealed gangways between coaches, CCTV in every coach, and Divyangjan-accessible lavatories.
- The Government has set a target of 4,500 Vande Bharat trains by 2047 as part of the Amrit Kaal vision.
- Vande Bharat Sleeper variants are being developed for overnight long-distance routes, expanding the platform beyond chair-car services.
Connection to this news: The Bengaluru-Mangaluru-Karwar service will extend the Vande Bharat network into coastal Karnataka, demonstrating the programme's expansion from trunk routes between metros to intra-state and regional connectivity corridors.
Railway Electrification and Green Rail Mobility
Indian Railways has pursued an aggressive electrification programme, with over 90% of the broad gauge network electrified by 2025. The organisation has declared a target of achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2030, making it one of the world's first railway systems to set such an ambitious decarbonisation timeline. The Bengaluru-Mangaluru route's electrification requirement for Vande Bharat deployment reflects this broader programme.
- Indian Railways electrified a record 6,565 route km in FY 2022-23, the highest in a single year.
- Electrification reduces energy costs by approximately 60% compared to diesel traction and eliminates direct carbon emissions from train operations.
- Indian Railways is the single largest consumer of electricity in India and one of the largest employers in the world (approximately 12.5 lakh employees).
- The Mission 100% Electrification programme, launched in 2017, initially targeted completion by December 2023 but was extended due to challenging terrain sections.
- Solar panels have been installed at over 1,000 railway stations, and Indian Railways is procuring renewable energy through open access.
Connection to this news: The Bengaluru-Mangaluru Vande Bharat service is contingent on completing electrification of the route, which passes through the Western Ghats—one of the most technically challenging sections for electrification due to terrain, tunnels, and environmental sensitivity.
Coastal Karnataka: Geography and Economic Significance
The Bengaluru-Mangaluru-Karwar corridor traverses the Western Ghats, one of the world's eight "hottest hotspots" of biological diversity and a UNESCO World Heritage Site (2012). The Western Ghats section of this railway line passes through the Shiradi and Charmadi ghat sections, known for steep gradients, sharp curves, and vulnerability to landslides during the monsoon season.
- Mangaluru is a major port city on the Arabian Sea coast, home to New Mangalore Port (one of India's 12 major ports under the Major Port Authorities Act, 2021).
- Karwar is the headquarters of the Indian Navy's third naval command, INS Kadamba, India's largest naval base.
- The Konkan Railway, running along India's west coast from Roha (Maharashtra) to Mangaluru, connects this corridor to the national rail network via 2,000 bridges and 91 tunnels through the Western Ghats.
- Coastal Karnataka's economy is driven by port-based trade, fishing, cashew processing, banking (Mangaluru is the birthplace of several major Indian banks), and tourism.
Connection to this news: The Vande Bharat service on this route will improve connectivity between Bengaluru's technology-driven economy and the port and naval infrastructure of coastal Karnataka, while the Western Ghats terrain explains why electrification completion is a prerequisite for service launch.
Key Facts & Data
- 78 Vande Bharat services operational across India as of February 2026 (8, 16, and 20-coach configurations).
- First Vande Bharat launched: 15 February 2019 (New Delhi-Varanasi).
- Maximum operational speed: 160 km/h; trial run speed: 183 km/h.
- Manufactured at Integral Coach Factory (ICF), Chennai.
- Karnataka railway budget allocation: Rs 7,748 crore (record).
- Indian Railways electrification: over 90% of broad gauge network; net-zero target by 2030.
- Target: 4,500 Vande Bharat trains by 2047.
- INS Kadamba (Karwar): India's largest naval base.