Bengaluru-Mumbai Vande Bharat Sleeper Express Flagged Off
Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw flagged off the SMVT Bengaluru-CSMT Mumbai Vande Bharat Sleeper Express on 1 November 2026, running six days a week.
Why in News
On 1 November 2026 the Union Railway Minister flagged off the Bengaluru-Mumbai Vande Bharat Sleeper Express, an overnight service joining the country’s technology hub with its financial capital through Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra.
Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw flagged off the SMVT Bengaluru - Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) Mumbai Vande Bharat Sleeper Express on 1 November 2026. Union Ministers Pralhad Joshi and H. D. Kumaraswamy, Minister of State for Railways V. Somanna and Minister of State Shobha Karandlaje were present at the ceremony.
The two cities it joins
The Railway Minister described the service as a link between Bengaluru, which he called the country's capital of information technology and startups, and Mumbai, its financial capital. The overnight train is aimed at professionals, entrepreneurs, business travellers, students, traders and tourists.
Timings and route
| Departure from SMVT Bengaluru | 19:45 hours; reaches CSMT Mumbai at 11:55 hours the next day |
| Departure from CSMT Mumbai | 20:10 hours; reaches SMVT Bengaluru at 12:00 hours the next day |
| Frequency | Six days a week - no service from Bengaluru on Monday and none from Mumbai on Tuesday |
| Stations on the way | Anantapur, Guntakal, Raichur, Yadgir, Wadi, Kalaburagi, Solapur, Pune, Kalyan |
| States served | Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra |
Anantapur and Guntakal lie in Andhra Pradesh; Raichur, Yadgir and Kalaburagi in Karnataka; and Solapur, Pune and Kalyan in Maharashtra. Parts of north Karnataka that had no premium train service of this kind now get an overnight connection.
Third in the sleeper series
Vande Bharat Sleeper services began on the Howrah-Guwahati corridor in January 2026. The Varanasi-New Delhi sleeper train was flagged off a day before this one, which makes the Bengaluru-Mumbai train the next addition to the overnight network.
What else the ministers said
- The next Vande Bharat Sleeper for Karnataka will start at Bengaluru, run towards the Hubballi region in the north of the state and go on to Pune and Mumbai.
- Bengaluru-Mangaluru Vande Bharat services are expected within weeks, once electrification and testing on that route are finished.
- Travel time between Bengaluru and Chennai is to come down to 73 minutes, and Bengaluru to Hyderabad to about two hours and ten minutes.
- Railway works worth roughly Rs 52,000 crore are under way in Karnataka, Shri Somanna said.
- Shri Joshi said accidents had fallen from 135 to 16 after the Kavach protection system was rolled out, with zero accidents as the target.
The Prime Minister's words
Prime Minister Narendra Modi called the train a major boost to rail connectivity between the two cities and said it would benefit the people of Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra, and in particular young people, IT professionals and students.
Important Facts
| Train | SMVT Bengaluru - CSMT Mumbai Vande Bharat Sleeper Express |
|---|---|
| Flagged off by | Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw |
| Date | 1 November 2026 |
| Also present | Pralhad Joshi, H. D. Kumaraswamy, V. Somanna, Shobha Karandlaje |
| Timings | Leaves Bengaluru 19:45, reaches Mumbai 11:55; leaves Mumbai 20:10, reaches Bengaluru 12:00 |
| Frequency | Six days a week; no Monday service from Bengaluru, no Tuesday service from Mumbai |
| States covered | Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra |
| First sleeper route | Howrah-Guwahati, January 2026 |
| Karnataka rail works | About Rs 52,000 crore under way |
Exam Point of View
Note the terminals (SMVT Bengaluru and Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus, Mumbai), who flagged it off, the date, the six-days-a-week frequency, the three states and the halts, the earlier Howrah-Guwahati sleeper of January 2026 and the Varanasi-New Delhi train of the previous day, and the figures quoted: Rs 52,000 crore of works in Karnataka and the fall in accidents from 135 to 16 with Kavach.
Practice Questions
The Vande Bharat Sleeper Express flagged off on 1 November 2026 connects Bengaluru with which city?
- A.Chennai
- B.Hyderabad
- C.Mumbai
- D.Mangaluru
Show answer
The Union Railway Minister flagged off the service between SMVT Bengaluru and Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus in Mumbai, joining the country's hub of information technology and startups with its financial and commercial capital.
Read the full explanation →On which corridor did Vande Bharat Sleeper services first begin?
- A.Varanasi-New Delhi
- B.Howrah-Guwahati
- C.Bengaluru-Mumbai
- D.Pune-Kalyan
Show answer
The Bengaluru-Mumbai train belongs to the same family and was described as a further expansion of overnight travel on modern trains.
Read the full explanation →According to Union Minister Pralhad Joshi, the roll-out of the Kavach protection system brought accident numbers down from 135 to which figure?
- A.16
- B.36
- C.52
- D.73
Show answer
While speaking at the flag-off, the Union Minister said that spending on railway infrastructure had produced both expansion and better safety, and that the number of accidents had dropped from one hundred and thirty-five to sixteen after the Kavach train protection system was introduced, with the stated institutional goal of…
Read the full explanation →Frequently Asked Questions
Between which two stations does the new Vande Bharat Sleeper Express run?
Between SMVT Bengaluru and Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus, Mumbai. It was flagged off on 1 November 2026 by Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw and runs six days a week.
Which was the first Vande Bharat Sleeper corridor?
Howrah-Guwahati, where the service began in January 2026. The Varanasi-New Delhi sleeper train was flagged off a day before the Bengaluru-Mumbai service.
Which states will the Bengaluru-Mumbai sleeper train serve?
Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra. Its halts include Anantapur and Guntakal in Andhra Pradesh, Raichur, Yadgir and Kalaburagi in Karnataka, and Solapur, Pune and Kalyan in Maharashtra.
Sources
- https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2331297 (opens in a new tab) — Press Information Bureau
- https://pib.gov.in/PressReleaseIframePage.aspx?PRID=2331339 (opens in a new tab) — Press Information Bureau
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