South East Central Railway has announced the regularisation of the Bilaspur-Yelahanka-Bilaspur Weekly Express Special, with the service set to operate as a regular weekly train from August 26.
The existing Train Nos. 08261/08262 Bilaspur-Yelahanka-Bilaspur Weekly Express Special will be renumbered as Train Nos. 18261/18262. The new regular service will connect Bilaspur in Chhattisgarh with Yelahanka Junction in Bengaluru, with multiple stops across Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, Telangana, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh.
Bilaspur-Yelahanka train to run every Wednesday
Train No. 18261 Bilaspur-Yelahanka Weekly Express will depart from Bilaspur at 2 pm every Wednesday, starting August 26. It will reach Yelahanka Junction at 7 pm the following day.
The train will halt at Bhatapara, Raipur, Durg, Rajnandgaon, Dongargarh, Gondia, Wadsa, Chandafort, Ballarshah, Sirpur Kaghaznagar, Manchiryal, Kazipet Junction, Charlapalli, Secunderabad, Lingampalli, Vikarabad Junction, Tandur, Yadgir, Krishna, Raichur Junction, Mantralayam Road, Guntakal Junction, Gooty Junction, Anantapur and Dharmavaram Junction before reaching Yelahanka.
The service will provide a weekly rail link between Bilaspur and the Bengaluru region, covering several important railway stations along the route.
Return service to leave Yelahanka every Thursday
Train No. 18262 Yelahanka-Bilaspur Weekly Express will operate every Thursday from August 27. It will depart from Yelahanka Junction at 9.30 pm and reach Bilaspur at 3.30 am on Saturday.
On its return journey, the train will halt at Dharmavaram Junction, Anantapur, Gooty Junction, Guntakal Junction, Mantralayam Road, Raichur Junction, Krishna, Yadgir, Tandur, Vikarabad Junction, Lingampalli, Secunderabad, Charlapalli, Kazipet Junction, Manchiryal, Sirpur Kaghaznagar, Ballarshah, Chandafort, Wadsa, Gondia, Dongargarh, Rajnandgaon, Durg, Raipur and Bhatapara.
The train will then reach Bilaspur at 3.30 am on Saturday.
20 LHB coaches in train formation
The Bilaspur-Yelahanka-Bilaspur Weekly Express will comprise 20 LHB coaches. The formation will include one AC 2-Tier coach, four AC 3-Tier coaches, two AC 3-Tier Economy coaches and seven Sleeper Class coaches.
The train will also have four General Second Class coaches, one Second Class Luggage-cum-Brake Van with a Divyangjan-friendly compartment and one Generator-cum-Luggage/Brake Van.