South Western Railway has not received official communication from the Railway Board on approval of the proposed Vande Bharat Sleeper service between Bengaluru and Mumbai. The train is planned to connect Sir M Visvesvaraya Terminal in Bengaluru with Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus in Mumbai and could operate six days a week, according to a tentative timetable.

The proposed service would cover 1,118 km. It is expected to leave Bengaluru at 7.50pm and reach Mumbai at 11.55am the following day, taking about 16 hours and 5 minutes. On the return journey, the train could depart Mumbai at 8.10pm and arrive in Bengaluru at 11.55am the next day, with an estimated travel time of 15 hours and 45 minutes.

The proposed route would pass through Dharmavaram, Anantapur, Guntakal, Raichur, Wadi, Kalaburagi, Solapur, Pune and Kalyan. Solapur and Pune have been identified for cleaning and water-filling arrangements. The Kalaburagi route has been preferred because it has fewer curves and can support sections where trains may run at speeds of up to 130 kmph.

Railway planning sources have indicated that the service would have a relatively low average speed. A 55 kmph section between Londa and Kittur could also affect the overall journey time. Since the route already has 17 pairs of trains, their timings may need to be adjusted to accommodate the proposed sleeper service.

An alternative route through Hubballi has more curves and ghat sections, where speed restrictions could add to the journey time. A separate Vande Bharat Sleeper service on that route has also been suggested to improve connectivity to parts of Karnataka. Regular commuters have said the final schedule should keep most of the journey overnight and allow passengers to reach either city without losing productive business hours. The timetable remains subject to official confirmation.