Karnataka is all set to get its second Vande Bharat Express next month which will connect Bengaluru with the twin cities of Hubballi and Dharwad. The semi high-speed train will reduce the travel time between the two destinations to 5 hours from 7 hours at present.

Union parliamentary affairs minister Pralhad Joshi, who is the Lok Sabha MP from Dharwad, said he met Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnav on Wednesday and was given the assurance that the new Vande Bharat train linking Bengaluru to Hubli-Dharwad route would become operational in July.

The electrification work and track strengthening has been completed and the project is in the final stages of discussion.

“Hubballi- Dharwad is the second most travelled area after Bengaluru. This was a long-pending demand. At present, it takes 7 hours to reach Hubli. After July, it will take only 5 hours,” Joshi said.

In November 2022, Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagged off India’s fifth and South’s first Vande Bharat between Mysuru and Chennai via Bengaluru which has reduced the travel time on the route.

The Vande Bharat Express trains are speeding up travel in the country and the initiative is driven by the ‘Make In India’ campaign of the Prime Minister Modi that has been taken up by the Integral Coach Factory (ICF).

Vande Bharat Express runs as a self-propelled semi high-speed train set. It has an aerodynamic design on both ends, which significantly reduces air drag and gives the train a futuristic look.