Mumbai-Mangaluru Vande Bharat train cuts travel time

The Indian Railways is planning a new Vande Bharat train route that will connect Mumbai directly to Mangaluru. This route will merge the existing Mumbai-Goa and Mangaluru-Goa services. The goal is to reduce travel time to about 12 hours. Currently, the Mumbai-Goa Vande Bharat train leaves Mumbai at 5:25 am and arrives in Goa at 1:10 pm. Under the new plan, it will continue on to Mangaluru, reaching there by 6:00 pm. The Mangaluru-Goa service departs at 8:30 am and also reaches Goa at 1:10 pm. This train would then extend its trip to Mumbai, arriving by 9:00 pm. However, there may be some scheduling issues. Many long-distance trains arrive in Mumbai at the same time during the evening, which could lead to congestion at the platforms. The Mumbai-Goa Vande Bharat train's occupancy has declined from around 90 percent to about 70 percent. Railways officials believe that merging the services may help boost passenger numbers again. Last year, the Konkan Vikas Samithi group opposed merging the two routes, saying it could decrease seat availability for travelers between Mumbai and Madgaon.