Bengaluru-Mumbai Vande Bharat Sleeper flagged off: timings, stops and fares

Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw flagged off the Bengaluru-Mumbai Vande Bharat Sleeper train at the Sir M. Visvesvaraya Terminal (SMVT) in Bengaluru on Sunday, 1 November 2026, giving the two cities their first overnight Vande Bharat service. Train 27652 leaves SMVT Bengaluru at 7:45 pm and reaches Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) at 11:55 am the next day. The return train, 27651, leaves CSMT at 8:10 pm and reaches Bengaluru at noon the next day. Regular services begin on 2 and 3 November in the two directions.

Bengaluru and Mumbai are two of India's biggest business and technology hubs, and travel between them is heavy. Until now, travellers mostly chose between short but costly flights and long train journeys on older rakes. The new sleeper offers a middle option: board in the evening, sleep, and arrive in the late morning, saving a hotel night and the trip to and from airports.

The timings are designed for that overnight pattern. A 7:45 pm departure from Bengaluru lets office-goers finish the day before boarding, and an 11:55 am arrival in Mumbai still leaves most of the working day. The Mumbai departure at 8:10 pm works the same way in reverse. The total journey of about 16 hours is long, but because most of it is overnight, it costs travellers little working time.

The route also serves cities in between. Stops at Anantapur and Guntakal in Andhra Pradesh, Raichur, Yadgir and Kalaburagi in north Karnataka, and Solapur, Pune and Kalyan in Maharashtra give these places a faster, more comfortable overnight link to both metros. North Karnataka towns such as Kalaburagi and Raichur, which have fewer flight options, stand to gain most.

The train is also a test of the Vande Bharat Sleeper design on a long, busy route. So far, Vande Bharat trains have mostly been chair-car services for day journeys. Sleeper versions are meant to carry the same idea, faster and more comfortable travel, to overnight routes, which carry a large share of India's long-distance passengers.

Bengaluru-Mumbai Vande Bharat Sleeper at a glance Train | Departs | Arrives 27652 Bengaluru to Mumbai | SMVT 7:45 pm | CSMT 11:55 am, next day 27651 Mumbai to Bengaluru | CSMT 8:10 pm | SMVT 12:00 noon, next day Coaches | 16 (11 AC 3-tier, 4 AC 2-tier, 1 AC first) | 823 berths

Short-term: Passengers between Bengaluru, Pune and Mumbai get a new overnight option from this week, which may ease demand on existing trains on the route during the festive season.

Long-term: If the train runs full, it strengthens the case for more Vande Bharat Sleeper services on other long overnight routes linking southern and western India.

Who is affected: Business and leisure travellers between Bengaluru, Pune and Mumbai, residents of north Karnataka and Rayalaseema towns on the route, airlines on the Bengaluru-Mumbai sector, and Indian Railways.

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