​Vande Bharat timing trial run on Yeshwantpur-Mangaluru route on September 5

The 16-car Mangaluru Central-Thiruvananthapuram Central VB Express gliding out of Netravathi Bridge in Mangaluru on September 3, 2026. The South Western Railway will conduct the timing trial run of the train between Yeshwantpur-Mangaluru Central-Yeshwantpur on September 5, 2026. | Photo Credit: Anil Kumar Sasty Following the successful completion of the trial run of Vande Bharat Express on the Sakleshpur-Subrahmanya Road Ghat section in August second week, the Railway Ministry has now ordered the timing trial of the VB Express between Bengaluru (Yeshwantpur) and Mangaluru Central, on Saturday (September 5, 2026).While the Ghat section trial was conducted using an automatic emergency brake (AEB)-fitted 20-car VB rake, the timing trial would be conducted using an AEB-fitted 16-car VB rake.As per the schedule issued by the South Western Railway Headquarters (HQ) on Thursday (September 3, 2026), the VB Express would depart Yeshwantpur at 6.05 a.m. to arrive at Mangaluru Central at 2.25 p.m. (8.20 hours). En-route, it would depart Hassan at 9.05 a.m., Sakleshpur at 10 a.m. and Subrahmanya Road at 12.35 p.m.In the return run, the trial rake would depart Central at 3 p.m. to reach Yeshwantpur at 11 p.m. En-route, it would depart Subrahmanya road at 4.35 p.m., Sakleshpur at 6.35 p.m. and Hassan at 7.30 p.m.The HQ said the timing trial between Yeshwantpur and Hassan would be conducted by the Bengaluru Division while the one between Hassan and Mangaluru would be conducted by the Mysuru Division.It advised senior officers, led by respective Divisional Operations Managers and comprising engineers and timetable controllers, to conduct the joint trial run and observe originating, terminating, interchange and stoppage timings and also observe running through the Ghat section and submit a detailed report to the HQ.Long running timeThe HQ said that the proposed running time is too long. Therefore, efforts should be made to reduce the running time as far as possible duly following all safety precautions.Mudit Mittal, Divisional Railway Manager of Mysuru Division, told The Hindu that the trial run is being done only to assess the actual timing taken for the operation. The route, timings, destinations etc., would be finalised by the Railway Ministry after the trial results.Mr. Mittal also said that the Research, Design and Standards Organisation (RDSO) of the Railway Ministry, which conducted the Ghat section trials with AEB-fitted VB rake, has submitted the report to the Ministry. It found everything was fine with the working of the AEB after testing its hardware and software, he added.Regular trainsThe Bengaluru-Kozhikode Express (16511) takes 9.25 hours between Yeshwantpur and Mangaluru with 10 commercial halts en-route. With the VB Express expected to have very few stops, its running time is expected to be drastically cut down.While the Bengaluru-Karwar Panchaganga Express (16595) takes 2.30 hours between Yeshwantpur and Hassan with two halts en-route, the VB trial run with no stops en-route is given three hours. If the VB could traverse the distance in about two hours, the end-to-end time could come down to seven hours. Published - September 04, 2026 01:26 pm IST