The Great Bengaluru-to-Goa Travel Paradox: Why the Train Still Loses to the Bus
The Great Bengaluru-to-Goa Travel Paradox: Why the Train Still Loses to the Bus For travelers moving between India’s tech capital, Bengaluru , and the coastal paradise of Goa , the choice of transport presents a baffling technical paradox. Despite India’s rapid rail modernization and the introduction of the Vande Bharat Express , the humble multi-axle sleeper bus remains the fastest way to travel by land. Digging into the geography, engineering, and logistics reveals why a high-tech train capable of $160$ km/h struggles to beat a bus on a standard highway. 1. The Geography: Three Very Different Paths To understand the time difference, one must first look at the map. While a flight is a straight line, land transport must negotiate the formidable Western Ghats . Mode / Route Key Waypoints Approx. Distance Average Duration Direct Bus (NH 48) Hubballi → Dharwad → Mollem ~56...