KPTCL prepares power network ahead of Vande Bharat launch on Western Ghat route

Updated - November 12, 2026 10:07 pm IST - Bengaluru

Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted the image of the Vande Bharat Express chugging through the Western Ghats, ahead of the inauguration of the train during his visit to Bengaluru, on Thursday. | Photo Credit: ANI

The Karnataka Power Transmission Corporation Limited (KPTCL) has completed the work to supply power to the newly electrified Sakleshpur-Subrahmanya Road railway section in the Western Ghats, ahead of the launch of the Yeshwantpur-Mangaluru-Madgaon Vande Bharat Express on November 13.

The train will be the first Vande Bharat service to run through this section. Supplying power to the route involved working in difficult terrain and heavy rainfall in the Western Ghats, Energy Minister K.J. George said on Thursday.

He said the new train service would make travel between Bengaluru and coastal Karnataka easier and could benefit tourism and hospitality sector in Mangaluru, Udupi, Murudeshwar and Gokarna.

KPTCL Managing Director V. Ram Prasath Manohar said a review had been held to check whether all substations and transmission systems were ready before the train service began.

He said that technical staff would be deployed at key substations and connection points round-the-clock to monitor the power supply during the Vande Bharat operations.

Published - November 12, 2026 08:23 pm IST

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