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Indian Railways, on Monday, 18 May 2026, officially flagged off the highly anticipated new train service from Bengaluru to Mumbai. Senior railway officials and officials from the state government inaugurated the first train from Bengaluru's Yesvantpur Junction.

The train is expected to be either a Vande Bharat or an AC express train to cut travelling time between India's tech hub and financial capital to around 12-13 hours from the current time of 15-18 hours on conventional trains. It will run on the Pune-Solapur route and will be passing through all major stations like Hubballi, Belagavi, and Pune.

This new service fulfills a decades-old demand, which is the need to connect one of South India's busiest corridors. New comforts include Wi-Fi, on-board catering, more comfortable seats, and enhanced on-board safety. Bookings have already been initiated in the IRCTC app and IRCTC website.

Railway officials said that the train will be operating on a daily or alternate-day basis and will be increased based on response. IT professionals, business travelers, and tourists who often make the journey between the two cities have welcomed the launch.

Indian Railways' ongoing initiatives are likely to lead to even more significant advancements in their semi-high-speed rail operations, all while enhancing the comfort and speed of the journeys for millions of people.