Mangaluru: The proposed Bengaluru-Goa Vande Bharat Express, which is expected to connect the state capital with Goa through coastal Karnataka, is facing criticism even before its launch, with railway passengers and activists questioning its lengthy travel time and the decision to bypass Mangaluru Central station.

The Railway Board, in a notification dated October 30, announced the introduction of the semi-high-speed service between Yeshwantpur and Madgaon via Mangaluru Junction.

According to the proposed timetable, train No. 26655 will depart from Yeshwantpur at 7.35 am and reach Mangaluru Junction at 3.05 pm before arriving at Madgaon at 8.55 pm. In the return direction, train No. 26656 will leave Madgaon at 8.20 am, reach Mangaluru Junction at 1.50 pm and arrive at Yeshwantpur at 9.15 pm.

The service is scheduled to operate from Yeshwantpur on Wednesdays and from Madgaon and Mangaluru Junction on Thursdays.

As reported by DH in August, the Railways plans to introduce the new service by extending the existing Mangaluru Central-Madgaon Vande Bharat Express (20645/20646), which will subsequently be discontinued.

In a first for a Vande Bharat chair-car service, the extended route will require two train sets. One will be the existing Mangaluru-Madgaon rake, while the other will be an additional rake. The arrangement is necessary as the proposed service will cover the longest distance by a Vande Bharat seater train in the country. Both rakes are expected to comprise eight coaches.

While the Bengaluru-Mangaluru journey is expected to take 7 hours and 30 minutes, around 90 minutes less than the fastest existing train on the route, the extension to Goa has raised concerns over the overall travel duration.

The Mangaluru-Madgaon stretch alone will take an hour longer than the existing Vande Bharat service. With the entire journey from Yeshwantpur to Madgaon taking approximately 13 hours, critics feel the duration is excessive for a chair-car train.

K N Krishna Prasad of Karnataka Railway Vedike attributed the lengthy journey to the single-track railway section along the route. He said the additional time taken between Mangaluru and Madgaon was also due to changes in the schedule to accommodate other trains operating on the section.

“It will be a good train between Bengaluru and Mangaluru, but taking it to Goa makes the journey too long,” he said.

Meanwhile, uncertainty continues over the launch date of the service. Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has indicated that the train would be introduced “in a few weeks”, but an official commencement date is yet to be announced.