VB trial run on Subrahmanya Road-Sakleshpur ghat section over; SWR awaits new 16-car rake for regular run
The South Western Railway has completed trial runs for a Vande Bharat Express on the Sakleshpur-Subrahmanya Road ghat section. The service is expected to reduce travel time between Bengaluru and Mangaluru, though final scheduling remains pending.
Why it matters
Improved rail connectivity is vital for economic and logistical integration between coastal and interior Karnataka.
The stage is set for the introduction of a Vande Bharat (VB) Express service between Bengaluru and Mangaluru after the Research, Design and Standards Organisation (RDSO) under the Ministry of Railways successfully conducted a trial run on the Sakleshpur-Subrahmanya Road ghat section of the Hassan-Mangaluru line from August 12 to 19.
The trial runs were conducted on August 12–14 and 17–19 by an RDSO team from Lucknow with a 20-car VB rake fitted with an Automatic Emergency Brake (AEB) system. The AEB was required to prevent the train from exceeding 30 kmph in the ghat section, as mandated by the Commissioner of Railway Safety for all trains traversing the stretch, which has a steep gradient of 1 in 50.
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