The inaugural tri-weekly special train from Mangaluru central to Yeshwantpur was flagged off Thursday by Dakshina Kannada MP Nalin Kumar Kateel.
The train operated services up to Kabakaputtur on the inaugural run.
The regular services of the train between Mangaluru Central and Yeshwantpur will begin Friday.
Vedavyas Kamath, MLA, city mayor Bhaskar Moily and zilla panchayath resident Meenakshi Shantigodu were present on the occasion.
The Mangaluru Central-Yeshwantpur tri weekly express will depart from Mangaluru central at 7 PM on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays and arrive at Yeshwantpur at 5 AM the next day, a railway release said.
In the return direction, the Yeshwantpur-Mangaluru central tri-Weekly Express will depart from Yeshwantpur on Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays at 4.30 PM and arrive at Mangaluru central at 4 AM the next day.