₹2.51 a km by train, about ₹5 a km by air: Bengaluru-Mumbai travel compared

Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw flagged off the Bengaluru-Mumbai Vande Bharat Sleeper on 1 November. Regular runs began on 2 November from Mumbai and 3 November from Bengaluru. It covers about 1,118 km in roughly 16 hours. Existing trains take 22 to 24 hours, so Swarajya puts the saving at about six hours.

Reported fares are ₹2,810 in AC 3-tier, ₹3,630 in AC 2-tier and ₹4,450 in First AC. That is about ₹2.51, ₹3.25 and ₹3.98 a km. Like every Vande Bharat Sleeper, it runs on confirmed tickets only, with no RAC or waitlist. Short trips are billed for at least 400 km, and GST is charged on top.

Train 27652 leaves SMVT Bengaluru at 7:45 pm and reaches CSMT Mumbai at 11:55 am. Train 27651 leaves CSMT at 8:10 pm and gets to Bengaluru at noon. It stops at Anantapur, Guntakal, Raichur, Yadgir, Kalaburagi, Solapur, Pune and Kalyan. The Bengaluru train skips Mondays; the Mumbai train skips Tuesdays.

Pune gets one late-night slot and one early-morning slot. The Mumbai-Bengaluru train reaches Pune at 11:40 pm and leaves at 11:45 pm. The Bengaluru-Mumbai train arrives at 8 am and leaves at 8:05 am. If you are in Pune and heading to Bengaluru, you board close to midnight.

The cheapest Bengaluru-Mumbai flight on HappyFares, in data updated on 4 November, was ₹4,178, for travel on 12 November. Non-stop flights take about 1 hour 55 minutes. That is ₹1,368 more than AC 3-tier for about 14 hours saved, or about ₹96 for each hour. Getting to the airport and check-in are not counted.

The flight path is about 835 km, ixigo says, so the cheapest fare works out to roughly ₹5 a km. The train's AC 3-tier costs about half that per km of its own, longer route, and it includes a night's berth. Air fares change by the day, and a peak-date ticket can widen the gap a lot.

Vaishnaw has also announced a second Bengaluru-Mumbai sleeper via Hubballi, but its route, timings and launch date are not out yet. Check the final fare, with GST, on IRCTC. With no waitlist on this train, book early for busy dates.