On Friday, prime minister Narendra Modi flagged off semi-High speed Vande Bharat Express train linking Mysore with Chennai in Tamilnadu through Bengaluru (497 km). This is the first Vande Bharat Express introduced in South India and will reduce travel time for passengers.
However, the ticket will be expensive than Shatabdi express. The new train will run all days of the week except Wednesday. The Vande Bharat train departed from Bengaluru at around 10.25 am and is expected to reach MGR Chennai Central at around 5.20 pm the same evening. While an Express train from Mysore would usually take about 10 hours to reach Chennai, Shatabdi travels Mysore to Bengaluru just in 7 hours.
According to railway authorities, the fares are almost double for passengers travelling in the Vande Bharat Express train. A release from Chief Public Relation Officer South Western Railway, Hubballi stated, “It is a world class made in India train and provides excellent comfort with modern facilities.”
On the introduction of Vande Bharat train, chief minister Basavaraj Bommai said that the high speed train will help reinforce economic activities. Also, the prime minister flagged off another Bharat Gaurav Darshan Yatra train from Bengaluru to Benaras, a famous Hindu pilgrimage centre in North India.