Puttur/ Yeshwantapur, 5 September 2026: A 16-car Vande Bharat Express began a full-route trial run from Yesvantpur to Mangaluru Central on Saturday, September 5, as railway authorities assess the proposed timings and operational and safety requirements before the service is cleared for commercial operations.
Trial run is being conducted over the entire Yesvantpur–Mangaluru Central route. Officers and staff from the Operations, TRO/TRD (Electrical), Engineering and Mechanical departments are monitoring various operational, technical and safety aspects during the run.
Train is scheduled to depart Yesvantpur at 6:05 a.m., reach Hassan at 9:00 a.m., Sakleshpur at 9:55 a.m. and Subrahmanya at 12:30 p.m., before arriving at Mangaluru Central at 2:25 p.m.
For the return trial, the train is scheduled to leave Mangaluru Central at 3:00 p.m. and reach Yesvantpur at around 11:00 p.m. The estimated journey time between Yesvantpur and Mangaluru Central is around 8 hours and 20 minutes.
Full-route trial follows Western Ghats testing
Full-route trial follows a series of tests conducted on the challenging Western Ghats section between Sakleshpur and Subrahmanya. Between August 12 and 20, railway authorities had successfully completed trial testing of a 20-car train on the ghat section to assess its performance on the demanding terrain.
Latest trial covers the entire route and is intended to provide a broader assessment of the train's performance, timings, technical systems and safety arrangements. Railway technical teams will closely evaluate the quality and safety aspects of the journey during the trial. After the trial is completed, an expert team is expected to submit a detailed report to the Railway Board. Official date for the commencement of commercial services will be announced after the assessment and necessary approvals are completed.
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