Indian Railways completes electrification of Sakleshpur–Subramanya Road - one of its toughest ghat section routes.
Indian Railways has completed the electrification of the Sakleshpur–Subramanya Road section, which is one of the toughest ghat section routes on their railway network that runs through the splendid Western Ghats mountain range that is a UNESCO World Heritage site renowned as a global biodiversity hotspot.
With the completion of the electrification between Sakleshpur and Subramanya Road, the Bengaluru-Mangaluru rail route is now fully electrified, and the Railways Minster has said that they'll be now able to run Vande Bharat Trains through this route to Mangaluru.
The Ministry of Railways, Govt. of India, announced today that Indian Railways has achieved a major engineering milestone by completing the electrification of the Sakleshpur-Subramanya Road Ghat Section. This section is among the most difficult and technically challenging terrains on the Indian Railways network.
A successful electric locomotive trial was completed a couple of days ago, on 28 December 2025. With this, this section is now fully ready for running electric trains. With the electrification of this ghat section stretch, the entire Bengaluru-Mangaluru rail route is now fully electrified.
The complete electrification of this route enables the operations of electric trains like Vande Bharat, Amrit Bharat, and other fast electric trains, offering a better means of travel to Mangaluru or the coastal Karnataka region.
Brief details of this electrification project
The 55 kilometres railway route running through the ghat section between Sakleshpur and Subramanya Road is now electrified. In this region, terrain is very complex, with no approach roads to the railway track.
It includes a steep ruling gradient of 1 in 50, with 57 tunnels, 226 bridges, and 108 sharp curves. The area is also highly prone to landslides, especially during the monsoon season. Electrifying this stretch was a significant engineering challenge for the Indian Railways.
The electrification work on this section began in two years ago, on December 2023. The project included the construction of five switching stations and full overhead electrification. To ensure safety and reliability, the maximum distance between traction poles was kept at 67.5 metres.
Electrification through the tunnels required special attention. In the 57 tunnels, 427 main brackets and 427 spare brackets were installed. Detailed geological studies were carried out with support from the National Institute of Rock Mechanics and Bangalore University. Pull-out tests were conducted at every bracket location to check anchoring strength, to ensure long-term safety.
The electrification work was executed with meticulous planning due to the steep gradients along this route, while ensuring safe and uninterrupted train operations throughout the project period.
The work along this route was frequently affected by heavy rainfall, landslides, soil erosion and rockfalls. In many locations, materials had to be transported by rail to reach remote and inaccessible sites.
Modern electric trains like Vande Bharat to run through this route
Now, with electrification along this section being complete and with trials being successful, this ghat section route, which is sometimes also called as the Shiradi / Subramanya Ghat section, is now fully ready for electric trains.
As you'd already know, electric trains mean that there'll be lower fossil fuel (diesel) consumption, reduced emissions, and more efficient operations. It also supports the introduction of modern electric superfast train services of Indian Railways, such as the Vande Bharat and Amrit Bharat services in this region.
This will also help connect Bengaluru, India’s IT capital as well as the capital of Karnataka with Mangaluru it's major port city, as well as other coastal regions on this western coastline, such as Karavali or Coastal Karnataka.
Highlighting the impact of this achievement, Union Minister for Railways, Information & Broadcasting, and Electronics & Information Technology, Shri Ashwini Vaishnaw said, “Now we will be able to run Vande Bharat train through this route to Mangaluru.”
Indian Railways has already electrified over 99% of its Broad Gauge network. Since 2014, over 46,900 route kilometres have been electrified, compared to 21,801 route kilometres in the nearly six decades before 2014. Between 2019 and 2025 alone, around 33,000 route kilometres were electrified, almost equal to the entire railway network of Germany.
Once the electrification of the few remaining sections are completed, India will have one of the largest fully electrified railway networks in the world. The Ministry of Railways states that this reflects Indian Railways’ strong commitment to clean energy, reduced carbon emissions, energy security and reliable rail travel for millions of passengers every day.
Our journey through this railway route
We had travelled through this splendid route some years ago on a day train between Bengaluru and Mangaluru. You can view details of our trip in our Bengaluru to Mangaluru by train via splendid Western Ghats post.
While we had travelled in the old ICF coaches back then, you may now soon be able to enjoy travelling through this splendid route in a modern comfortable train like the Vande Bharat.
Also see → Bengaluru to Mangaluru by train via splendid Western GhatsA 413 kilometres railway journey between Bangalore and Mangalore through the splendidly scenic Sahyadri mountain range section in Karnataka
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- Indian Railways Achieves Electrification of One of Its Toughest Ghat Sections: Sakleshpur–Subramanya Road - Ministry of Railways, on PIB - Press Information Bureau. Posted On: 30 DEC 2025 8:00PM by PIB Delhi.