Karnataka Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa and Union Minister of State of Railways Suresh Angadi flagged off a new train connecting Bengaluru and Vasco in Goa. The new train with the numbers 16595/16596 will run between Yeshwantpur and Vasco via Udupi and Karwar. It will reach Udupi via Sakleshpur and Padil. The train will depart Yeshwantpur at 6.45 pm and arrive in Karwar at 8.25 am the next day before reaching Vasco at 10.30 am. The train from Vasco will depart at 3.25 pm and reach Karwar at 5.45 pm. It will depart from Karwar at 6 pm and arrive at Yeshwanthpur at 8 am.
The new train will replace the overnight Bengaluru – Karwar express which connected Bengaluru and Karwar. The train will not go to Mangalore station thereby saving valuable time for passengers heading to Udupi and Uttara Kannada. The earlier train was slower by 2-3 hours since it used to go to Mangalore Junction and then reverse the engine and go north. The new train will travel to Udupi from Padil in Dakshina Kannada. It will reach Udupi at 4.30 a.m. as against the earlier time of 8.00 a.m.
Train service to Mangalore will continue as usual with the Bengaluru – Kannur Express (via Kunigal for four days and via Mysore for three days). The train however will now have a revised set of 15 coaches.