4 trains cancelled; Ernakulam Vande Bharat among services hit by Bengaluru rail works

Thousands of passengers travelling between Kerala and Bengaluru could face inconvenience over the next few weeks, with South Western Railway revising operations of several trains due to yard remodelling work at KSR Bengaluru station.

The changes affect key Kerala services, including the Ernakulam-Bengaluru Vande Bharat Express and Kozhikode-Bengaluru Express, while four trains on the busy Chennai-Bengaluru corridor have been cancelled outright.

Four trains cancelled

South Western Railway has announced the cancellation of four services in early August:

• Train No. 12658 KSR Bengaluru-Dr MGR Chennai Central Superfast Express on August 1.
• Train No. 12657 Dr MGR Chennai Central-KSR Bengaluru Superfast Express on August 2.
• Train No. 16021 Dr MGR Chennai Central-Ashokapuram Kaveri Express on August 2.
• Train No. 16022 Ashokapuram-Dr MGR Chennai Central Kaveri Express on August 3.

Vande Bharat among Kerala services hit

The Ernakulam-KSR Bengaluru Vande Bharat Express (Train No. 26652) will be partially cancelled between Krishnarajapuram and KSR Bengaluru on July 31 and August 3. The train will terminate at Krishnarajapuram instead of KSR Bengaluru, requiring passengers to arrange onward travel.

The Kozhikode-KSR Bengaluru Express (Train No. 16512) will short terminate at SMVT Bengaluru from July 30 to August 3 after being diverted via Yesvantpur, Hebbal and Banaswadi. The train is scheduled to arrive at SMVT Bengaluru at 7.45 am.

Its return service, Train No. 16511 KSR Bengaluru-Kozhikode Express, will originate from SMVT Bengaluru instead of KSR Bengaluru between July 31 and August 4. The train will depart SMVT at 8 pm and run via Banaswadi, Hebbal and Yesvantpur.

Chennai-Bengaluru services revised

Passengers on the Chennai-Bengaluru route will also face multiple changes.

Train No. 12657 Dr MGR Chennai Central-KSR Bengaluru Express, on July 31 and August 1, will be partially cancelled between Baiyyappanahalli and KSR Bengaluru. The train will terminate at SMVT Bengaluru after diversion, with an additional halt at Krishnarajapuram from 3.43 am to 3.45 am.

Train No. 12658 KSR Bengaluru-Dr MGR Chennai Central Express will originate from SMVT Bengaluru instead of KSR Bengaluru on July 31, August 2 and August 3. It will depart SMVT at 10.40 pm, skipping KSR Bengaluru and Bengaluru Cantonment.

Train No. 12607 Dr MGR Chennai Central-KSR Bengaluru Lalbagh Express will also be partially cancelled between Baiyyappanahalli and KSR Bengaluru from July 31 to August 3. The train will be diverted to SMVT Bengaluru, skipping Bengaluru Cantonment and KSR Bengaluru.

MEMU services curtailed

Suburban passengers travelling between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu will also be affected.

Train No. 66549 Jolarpettai-KSR Bengaluru MEMU will be partially cancelled between Bengaluru Cantonment and KSR Bengaluru from July 16 to July 19.

Train No. 66550 KSR Bengaluru-Jolarpettai MEMU will operate from Bengaluru Cantonment instead of KSR Bengaluru from August 1 to August 4. The departure timing of 8.55 am remains unchanged.

Several other trains diverted

Apart from cancellations and short terminations, South Western Railway has revised diversion schedules for several long-distance services.

Train No. 16022 Ashokapuram-Dr MGR Chennai Central Kaveri Express will run on diverted routes on multiple dates between June 16 and August 2 via KSR Bengaluru, Yesvantpur, Hebbal, Banaswadi, SMVT Bengaluru and Baiyyappanahalli, skipping Bengaluru Cantonment.

Train No. 22135 Mysuru-Renigunta Express will be diverted on June 19 and July 3, 10, 17 and 24 through KSR Bengaluru, Yesvantpur, Hebbal, Banaswadi, SMVT Bengaluru and Baiyyappanahalli, bypassing Bengaluru Cantonment.

Train No. 22817 Howrah-Mysuru Superfast Express will be diverted on July 3, 10, 17, 24 and 31 via SMVT Bengaluru, Banaswadi, Hebbal, Yesvantpur and KSR Bengaluru.

Train No. 22818 Mysuru-Howrah Superfast Express will operate on diverted routes on June 21 and 28, July 5, 12, 19 and 26, and August 2 via KSR Bengaluru, Yesvantpur, Hebbal and Banaswadi.

The revised arrangements are part of the yard remodelling project underway at KSR Bengaluru station, aimed at improving operational efficiency and increasing capacity at one of South India's busiest railway hubs.

Passengers have been advised to check the latest train status before travel and plan for alternative boarding and deboarding points, particularly at SMVT Bengaluru and Krishnarajapuram.