Railway Minister, Shri Ashwini Vaishnaw directs work on plain sections and a DPR for the Ghat stretch of the corridor.
Union Railway Minister, Shri Ashwini Vaishnaw has announced plans to speed up the doubling of the Mangaluru-Bengaluru railway corridor, which links coastal Karnataka with the state capital. In a post on X on November 13, 2026, he said the project was being fast-tracked. According to the post and accompanying video, he asked officials to begin work on the relatively flat sections and prepare a detailed project report for the challenging Ghat stretch, describing the project as a national priority.
Speaking in Mangaluru, Vaishnaw said an integrated master plan would be prepared for coastal Karnataka, noting that connectivity in the region had long been a challenge for the railways. The remarks came as Prime Minister Narendra Modi dedicated the electrified Ghat section to the nation on November 13 and flagged off the new Yesvantpur-Madgaon Vande Bharat Express.
According to South Western Railway, the Vande Bharat service will begin regular operations on November 15 after two inaugural special services on November 13. It will serve Hassan, Sakleshpur, Subrahmanya Road, Mangaluru, Udupi, Kundapura, Murdeshwar, Gokarna and Karwar.
Source: Financial Express
