KARNATAKA (Metro Rail News): South Western Railway’s Mysuru division started field trials of an automatic emergency brake-fitted Vande Bharat Express rake on the challenging Sakleshpur-Subrahmanya Road Ghat section on Wednesday,12 August 2026.
The 20-car rake, specially manufactured by Integral Coach Factory (ICF), Chennai, arrived in Mysuru last week. After static trials at Mysuru on Tuesday, 11 August, the rake was moved to Sakleshpur the same night for the field tests.
This marks an important step towards assessing the feasibility of operating the semi-high-speed train on the Bengaluru-Mangaluru route.
Significance of Ghat Section Trials for Bengaluru-Mangaluru Route
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The Sakleshpur-Subrahmanya Road ghat section is one of the most technically demanding stretches on the line. It features steep gradients, sharp curves, tunnels and bridges, and has traditionally posed operational challenges related to speed, braking and safe movement on the gradients.
Trials will continue in this critical section for a few more days to test braking, acceleration, stability and other operational parameters under ghat conditions. The automatic emergency braking system is also being evaluated during these runs.
Successful completion of the trials and necessary safety clearances would pave the way for the possible introduction of a Vande Bharat Express service between Bengaluru and Mangaluru. The field trials form part of the railway’s process to establish the suitability of the Vande Bharat rake for regular operation on this route.
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