Check the timings, schedule, and other details for Vande Bharat train debuting in South India

The trial run is scheduled for 5 November, with the rolling stock leaving the integrated coach factory for trials.

Timings and schedule

The semi-high-speed train will take around six hours and 40 minutes to complete the journey between Chennai and Mysuru. It will cover a total distance of 497 km with an average speed of 74 km per hour.

The Vande Bharat Express from Chennai Central to Mysuru Junction will have the train number 20608.

It will start its journey from Chennai at 5.50 am and cover a distance of 359 km reaching Bengaluru city at 10.25 am.

After a five-minute halt at the junction, the train will continue at 10.30 am and reach the final destination — Mysuru Junction — at 12.30 pm.

The fifth Vande Bharat Express will be inaugurated by Our Hon’ble PM Shri @narendramodi ji on 11th Nov 2022. This will be the first semi-high speed service for southern India.

Schedule of Chennai-Bengaluru-Mysuru Vande Bharat Express. pic.twitter.com/t07SX0KqtE

— Pratap Simha (@mepratap) November 2, 2022

On its return journey from Mysuru Junction to Chennai Central, train number 20607 will depart at 1.05 pm and reach Bengaluru City Junction at 2.55 pm.

After a five-minute halt, the train will resume its journey at 3 pm and reach Chennai Central at 7.35 pm.

The Vande Bharat Express is scheduled to run every day of the week except for Wednesday.

It will pass through Perambur, Veppampattu, Katpadi Junction, Gudupalli, and Malur but will not have any halts.

Schedule clash with Shatabdi

Sanjeev V Dyamannavar, a traffic expert and founding member of Praja, a non-partisan organisation that says it is working towards enabling accountable governance, said that once the initial excitement wears off, the semi-high-speed train will just be a backup.

He told South First, “The timings at the moment make no sense, with Shatabadi and other trains running along the same route around the same time. Currently, there are no trains from Bengaluru to Chennai early in the morning.”

He suggested: “The Vande Bharat timings should have been reversed: It should start from Mysuru at 5 am and reach Bengaluru at 7 am and Chennai by 10:45 am.”

Another train enthusiast, Abhishek R, said: “It will be a problem in future if the train is delayed by 10-15 minutes. But it will be a rare phenomenon.”

Abhishek, who has travelled on the Vande Bharat Express from Delhi to Varanasi, had only good things to say about the comfort of the journey. But he also acknowledged the difference in the terrain in the southern region and the north.

He pointed out that the major concern with the scheduling was patronage. “The Shatabdi Express between Chennai and Bengaluru is somewhere around 70-80 percent occupied on weekdays and 90-100 percent on weekends,” he said.

“The demand for trains in Mysuru is much low compared to Chennai, and that needs to be addressed.”

It is still unclear if the train will replace the Shatabdi Express. At the time of the writing of this report, officials were unavailable for comment.

Vande Bharat features

The Vande Bharat trains are lighter and have a faster top speed than other Indian trains.

They take about 52 seconds to accelerate to 100 km per hour, and can reach a maximum speed of 160 km per hour.

The Vande Bharat train has 16 coaches, with a total seating capacity of 1,128 passengers.

It offers two spacious options — AC Chair Car (CC) and Executive Chair Car (EC).

While all seats are recliners, the executive coaches have the added feature of 360-degree rotating seats.