Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday flagged off Semi-High Speed Vande Bharat Express train linking Mysuru (Karnataka) with Chennai in Tamil Nadu via Bengaluru (497-km).

This is the first Vande Bharat Express introduced in south India and will reduce travel time for passengers. The ticket, however, will be costlier than Shatabdi Express. The new train will run all days of the week except Wednesday.

The Vande Bharat train departed from Bengaluru at around 10.25 am and is expected to reach MGR Chennai Central at around 5.20 pm the same evening.
While an Express Train from Mysuru would usually take about 10 hours to reach Chennai, Shatabdi travels from Mysuru to Bengaluru in seven hours.

A railway official said that the fares are almost double for passengers travelling in the Vande Bharat Express train. “It is a world class made in India train and offers excellent comfort with a host of modern facilities,” stated a release from Chief Public Relation Officer South Western Railway, Hubballi on Friday.

On the introduction of Vande Bharat train, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai stated that the high speed train will help boost economic activities.

On the occasion, Modi also flagged off another Bharat Gaurav Darshan Yatra train from Bengaluru to Banaras, a popular Hindu pilgrimage centre in north India.