Rail commuters and citizen activists have proposed a split-schedule operational plan for the upcoming Bengaluru–Mumbai Vande Bharat sleeper train, urging Indian Railways to run the service three days a week via Hubballi and three days via Kalaburagi.
Alongside the routing proposal, passenger associations are pressing for the expedited completion of critical railway line projects and speed upgrades to make the central Karnataka corridor competitive.
Currently, a stark disparity in travel times divides the two routes. While the Kalaburagi alignment completes the Bengaluru–Mumbai journey in under 16 hours, the Hubballi and Belagavi route takes over 20 hours due to lengthy detours.
Commuters argue that eliminating long-standing infrastructure bottlenecks along the Hubballi corridor would substantially cut travel times and extend high-speed rail benefits to key cities across central and northern Karnataka.
The Kalaburagi Advantage vs. Hubballi Detours : Representing commuters in the north-eastern region, Sunil Kulkarni, president of the Kalyana Karnataka Grahakara Vedike, stated that the Kalaburagi route remains technically more feasible under current track conditions.
He noted that the Kalaburagi alignment cuts the total distance by more than 100 km, whereas the Hubballi route suffers from major detours at Arsikere and Londa that add roughly five hours to the total journey.
Push for Missing Links and Speed Upgrades Advocates for the Hubballi corridor contend that the time gap can be bridged through pending infrastructure projects. Rohit Jain, general secretary of the South Western Railway (SWR) Passengers Committee, Davanagere, highlighted that completing the Tumakuru–Davanagere line would trim the distance by 70 km, while the Dharwad–Kittur–Belagavi direct line would save another 50 km.
Jain also pointed to operational speed restrictions as a major hurdle:
- Only about 40% of the existing Hubballi route permits speeds of 110 kmph, with trains generally operating at 80–90 kmph.
- Raising the maximum permissible speed to 130 kmph, combined with the new direct rail lines, could bring the Bengaluru–Mumbai travel time via Hubballi down to 15 hours.
- Routing the train through central and northern Karnataka would directly serve major commercial and educational hubs, including Tumakuru, Davanagere, Haveri, Dharwad, and Belagavi.
Land Acquisition Hurdles in Dharwad In Belagavi, activist Ashok Chandargi emphasized that the Londa detour has hampered Belagavi’s rail connectivity with Hubballi-Dharwad, Bengaluru, and Mumbai for decades.
While 90% of the land acquisition for the new Dharwad–Kittur–Belagavi railway line has reportedly been completed within the Belagavi district, acquisition remains pending on the Dharwad side. Chandargi urged elected representatives, specifically Union Minister Pralhad Joshi, to intervene and resolve the remaining land hurdles quickly.
