• Source:JND
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Mumbai-Mangaluru Vande Bharat:  Indian Railways intends to combine the current Mumbai-Goa and Mangaluru-Goa routes to provide a Vande Bharat train service from Mumbai to Mangaluru. At the moment, both trains run with around 70% of the passengers on average. To maximise passenger volume and efficiency, the new route will enable travelers to travel from Mumbai to Mangaluru in around 12 hours.

With less than 40% of passengers, the Mangaluru-Goa Vande Bharat is one of the least traveled routes. To fix this, the railways initially proposed expanding the service to Kozhikode. However, this idea was shelved because Karnataka political leaders opposed it. Currently, it takes around four and a half hours for the Mangaluru-Goa Vande Bharat to finish its trip.

In the beginning, the Mumbai-Goa Vande Bharat had a high occupancy rate of over 90%, but it has subsequently dropped to about 70%. Full passenger capacity will be attained, according to the Railways, if the Mumbai-Goa and Mangaluru-Goa services are combined into a single Mumbai-Mangaluru line.

Trains between Mangaluru and Mumbai, and those extended to Kerala, are always fully occupied. The Railways have calculated that a direct Vande Bharat service between Mumbai and Mangaluru will draw more passengers as a result of this.

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Mumbai-Mangaluru Vande Bharat: Proposed Schedule

Currently, the Mumbai-Goa Vande Bharat leaves Mumbai at 5:25 AM and arrives in Goa at 1:10 PM. Under the proposed itinerary, it would then proceed to Mangaluru, arriving around 6:00 PM. Similarly, the Mangaluru-Goa Vande Bharat departs from Mangaluru at 8:30 AM and arrives in Goa at 1:10 PM. If the train proceeds to Mumbai, it is likely to reach about 9:00 PM.

However, congestion on Mumbai's train stations around this time may cause a problem. As some long-distance trains arrive in Mumbai about 9:00 PM, the Central Railways has said that changes to the Mumbai-Mangaluru Vande Bharat schedule may be required.