Vande Bharat Express is a prestigious train which represents a remarkable achievement for Indian Railways. They are high-speed, indigenously developed automated train units. It first started its operations on 15th February 2019 between New Delhi and Varanasi.
About Vandebharat Express
Vande Bharat Express is the second fastest passenger train running in India after the Gatimaan Express. It was inaugurated in 2019 by the Prime Minister of India, Shri Narendra Modi.
History of Vandebharat Express
Initially, it was named Train 18 but was renamed ‘Vandebharat Express’ to acknowledge the fact that it was completely built in India. The specifications for the train were also standardised by the Research Designs and Standards Organisations (RDSO). It was made for operational optimisation with low-cost maintenance. The estimated cost for a 16-coach Vande Bharat train is about ₹116 crore.
How Vandebharat Express Came into Existence?
Indian Railways maximised efforts from past years to upgrade the safety of the trains. In 2016, Railways decided to focus on speed and comfort by joining hands with China, France, and Germany for the manufacturing of modern train coaches. But the foreign semi-high-speed trains were unsuccessful. Indian Railways decided to build the trains in India, cutting the import costs and making it more reliable.
The train was planned to be operational in 2018, naming it the ‘Train 18’. The Train 18 was equipped with modern facilities like ACs, Wi-Fi, automatic doors, etc. The train has 16 chair cars and a running speed of 160 km/h, exceeding the services and speed of the Shatabdi Express. During the trial runs, Train 18 became the fastest EMU train in India after attaining a speed of 180 km/h.
Facilities and Features of Vande Bharat Express
Indian Railways Vande Bharat Express trains are the first semi-high-speed trains in India with modern facilities. Some of the facilities are:
- The train is equipped with a security system named KAVACH
- The operational speed of the train is set up to 160 KM/hr
- Automatic doors for convenience
- Reclining and revolving seats in executive class
- Mobile charging sockets on the seats
- Amenities like bottle cooler, hot case, deep freezer, and water boiler
- Direct and diffused lighting for a pleasant ambience
- Special lavatory for physically challenged passengers
- Emergency exits and fire extinguishers in all the coaches
- Security cameras are installed in all coaches for enhanced safety
- Coaches are equipped with Wi-Fi, smoke alarms, and an odour control system
List of Vande Bharat Express Trains
The current operational Vande Bharat train routes are:
| 1 | Varanasi – New Delhi (22435) | New Delhi – Varanasi (22436) |
| 2 | New Delhi – SMVD KATRA (22439) | SMVD KATRA -New Delhi (22440) |
| 3 | Mumbai Central- Gandhinagar CAP (20901) | Gandhinagar CAP -Mumbai Central (20902) |
| 4 | New Delhi – Amb Andaura (22447) | Amb Andaura – New Delhi (22448) |
| 5 | Chennai – Mysuru (20607) | Mysuru- Chennai (20608) |
| 6 | Bilaspur Junction – Nagpur Junction (20825) (Temporarily Replaced with Tejas Express) | Nagpur – Bilaspur Junction (20826) (Temporarily Replaced with Tejas Express) |
| 7 | Howrah-New Jalpaiguri (22301) | New Jalpaiguri Junction – Howrah (22302) |
| 8 | Secunderabad – Visakhapatnam (20834) | Visakhapatnam -Secunderabad (20833) |
| 9 | Mumbai -Sainagar Shirdi (22223) | Sainagar Shirdi-Mumbai (22224) |
| 10 | Mumbai – Solapur (22225) | Solapur- Mumbai (22226) |
| 11 | Bhopal-Delhi (20171) | Delhi -Bhopal (20172) |
| 12 | Secunderabad-Tirupati (20701) | Tirupati-Secunderabad(20702) |
| 13 | MGR Chennai Central – Coimbatore (20643) | Coimbatore – MGR Chennai Central (20644) |
| 14 | Delhi Cantonment – Ajmer (20978) | Ajmer- Delhi Cantonment (20977) |
| 15 | Thiruvananthapuram Central -Kasaragod (20634) | Kasaragod-Thiruvananthapuram Central (20633) |
| 16 | Puri-Howrah Vande Bharat (22896) | Howrah -Puri Vande Bharat (22895) |
| 17 | Anand Vihar Terminal – Dehradun (22457) | Dehradun-Anand Vihar Terminal (22458) |
| 18 | New Jalpaiguri – Guwahati (22227) | Guwahati-New Jalpaiguri (22228) |
| 19 | Dharwad – Bengaluru (20662) | Bengaluru – Dharwad (20661) |
| 20 | Patna – Ranchi (22349) | Ranchi – Patna (22350) |
| 21 | Bhopal – Indore (20911) | Indore – Bhopal (20912) |
| 22 | Bhopal – Jabalpur (20173) | Jabalpur – Bhopal (20174) |
| 23 | Mumbai – Goa (22229) | Goa – Mumbai (22230) |
| 24 | Gorakhpur – Lucknow (22549) | Lucknow- Gorakhpur (22550) |
| 25 | Ahmedabad – Jodhpur (12462) | Jodhpur – Ahmedabad (12461) |
| 26 | Udaipur – Jaipur (20979) | Jaipur –Udaipur(20980) |
| 27 | MGR Chennai Central – Vijayawada (20677) | Vijayawada–MGR Chennai Central (20678) |
| 28 | Chennai Egmore – Tirunelveli (20665) | Tirunelveli–Chennai Egmore (20666) |
| 29 | Kacheguda – Yesvantpur (20703) | Yesvantpur–Kacheguda(20704) |
| 30 | Patna–Howrah (22348) | Howrah– Patna (22347) |
| 31 | Ranchi – Howrah (20898) | Howrah–Ranchi(20897) |
| 32 | Puri–Rourkela (20836) | Rourkela–Puri (20835) |
| 33 | Kasaragod – Thiruvananthapuram (20631) | Thiruvananthapuram–Kasaragod (20632) |
| 34 | Ahmedabad – Jamnagar (22925) | Jamnagar– Ahmedabad (22926) |
Vande Bharat Train Schedule
| FROM | TO | DEPARTURE | ARRIVAL | Distance | DAYS OF OPERATIONS |
| Varanasi Junction-BSB | New Delhi Railway Station-NDLS | 3:00 PM | 11:00 PM | 769 km | Except Monday and Thursday |
| New Delhi Railway Station-NDLS | Varanasi Junction-BSB | 06:00 AM | 2:00 PM | 769 km | Except Monday and Thursday |
| New Delhi Railway Station-NDLS | SMVD KATRA | 06:00 AM | 2:00 PM | 530 km | Except Tuesday |
| SMVD KATRA | New Delhi Railway Station-NDLS | 3:00 PM | 11:00 PM | 530 km | Except Tuesday |
| Mumbai Central | Gandhinagara CAP | 6:10 AM | 12:25 PM | 520 km | Except Sunday |
| Gandhinagar CAP | Mumbai Central | 2:05 PM | 8:15 PM | 520 km | Except Sunday |
| New Delhi | Amb Andaura | 05:50 AM | 11:05 AM | 415 km | Except Friday |
| Amb Andaura | New Delhi | 1:00 PM | 6:25 PM | 415 km | Except Friday |
| Chennai Central | Mysuru | 5:50 AM | 12:30 PM | 479 km | Except Wednesday |
| Mysuru | Chennai Central | 1:05 PM | 7:35 PM | 479 km | Except Wednesday |
| Bilaspur Junction | Nagpur Junction | 06:45 AM | 12:15 PM | 413 km | Except Saturday |
| Nagpur Junction | Bilaspur Junction | 2:05 PM | 7:35 PM | 413 km | Except Saturday |
| Howrah Junction | New Jalpaiguri Junction | 5:55 AM | 1.25 PM | 561 km | Except Wednesday |
| New Jalpaiguri Junction | Howrah Junction | 3:05 PM | 8:24 PM | 561 km | Except Wednesday |
| Secunderabad | Visakhapatnam | 3:00 PM | 11.30 PM | 699 km | Except Sunday |
| Visakhapatnam | Secunderabad | 5.45 AM | 2.15 PM | 699 km | Except Sunday |
| Mumbai | Solapur | 4:05 PM | 10:40 PM | 400 km | Except Wednesday |
| Solapur | Mumbai | 4:05 PM | 12:35 PM | 400 km | Except Thursday |
| Mumbai | Sainagar Shirdi | 6:20 AM | 11:40 AM | 340 km | Except Tuesday |
| Sainagar Shirdi | Mumbai | 5:25 PM | 10:50 PM | 340 km | Except Tuesday |
| Bhopal | New Delhi | 1:10 PM | 8:46 PM | 708 km | Except Saturday |
| New Delhi | Bhopal | 2:40 PM | 10:10 PM | 708 km | Except Saturday |
| Secunderabad | Tirupati | 6:15 AM | 2:30 PM | 661 km | Except Tuesdays |
| Tirupati | Secunderabad | 3:15 PM | 11:30 PM | 661 km | Except Tuesdays |
| Coimbatore | Chennai | 6:00 AM | 11:50 AM | – | Except Wednesday |
| Chennai | Coimbatore | 2:25 PM | 8:15 PM | – | Except Wednesday |
| Delhi Cantt | Ajmer | 6:40 PM | 11:55 PM | 428 km | Except Wednesday |
| Ajmer | Delhi Cantt | 6:20 AM | 11:35 PM | 428 km | Except Wednesday |
| Kasaragod | Thiruvananthampuram | 2:30 PM | 10:35 PM | 501 km | Except Thursdays |
| Thiruvananthampuram | Kasaragod | 5:20 AM | 1:25 PM | 501 km | Except Thursdays |
| Howrah | Puri | 6:10 AM | 12:35 PM | #N/A | Except Thursdays |
| Puri | Howrah | 01:50 PM | 8:30 PM | 502 km | Except Thursdays |
| Delhi | Dehradun | 5:50 PM | 10:35 PM | 302 km | Except Wednesday |
| Dehradun | Delhi | 7:00 AM | 11:45 AM | 302 km | Except Wednesday |
| Jalpaiguri | Guwahati | 6:10 AM | 11:40 AM | 410 km | Except Tuesday |
| Guwahati | Jalpaiguri | 4:30 PM | 10:00 PM | 410 km | Except Tuesday |
| Bengaluru | Dharwad | 5:45 AM | 12:10 PM | 489 km | – |
| Dharwad | Bengaluru | 1:15 PM | 7:45 PM | 489 km | – |
| Patna | Ranchi | 7:00 AM | 1:00 PM | 326 km | – |
| Ranchi | Patna | 4:15 PM | 10:05 PM | 326 km | – |
| Indore | Bhopal | 6:35 AM | 9:35 AM | 190 km | Sunday |
| Bhopal | Indore | 7:25 PM | 10:30 PM | 190 km | Sunday |
| Udaipur | Jaipur | 7:50 AM | 2:05 PM | 435 km | Except Tuesday |
| Jaipur | Udaipur | 3:45 PM | 10:00 PM | 435 km | Except Tuesday |
| MGR Chennai Central | Vijayawada | 5:30 AM | 12:10 PM | 517 km | Except Tuesday |
| Vijayawada | MGR Chennai Central | 3:20 PM | 10:00 PM | 517 km | Except Tuesday |
| Chennai Egmore | Tirunelveli | 2:50 PM | 10:40 PM | 650 km | Except Tuesday |
| Tirunelveli | Chennai Egmore | 6:00 AM | 1;50 PM | 650 km | Except Tuesday |
| Kacheguda | Yesvantpur | 5:30 AM | 2:00 PM | 610 km | Except Wednesday |
| Yesvantpur | Kacheguda | 2:45 PM | 11:15 PM | 610 km | Except Wednesday |
| Patna | Howrah | 8:00 AM | 2:35 PM | 532 km | Except Wednesday |
| Howrah | Patna | 3:50 PM | 10:40 PM | 532 km | Except Wednesday |
| Ranchi | Howrah | 5:15 PM | 12:20 PM | 463 km | Except Tuesday |
| Howrah | Ranchi | 3:45 PM | 10:50 PM | 463 km | Except Tuesday |
| Puri | Rourkela | 5:00 AM | 12:45 PM | 505 km | Except Saturdays |
| Rourkela | Puri | 2:10 PM | 9:41 PM | 505 km | Except Saturdays |
| Kasaragod | Thiruvananthapuram | 7:00 AM | 3:05 PM | 574 km | Except Tuesday |
| Thiruvananthapuram | Kasaragod | 4:05 PM | 11:58 PM | 574 km | Except Monday |
| Ahmedabad | Jamnagar | 5:55 PM | 10:35 PM | 332 km | Except Tuesday |
| Jamnagar | Ahmedabad | 5:30 AM | 10:10 AM | 332 km | Except Wednesday |
Vande Bharat Express Speed
Vande Bharat Express is a semi-high-speed train and is the fastest long-route train in India. The maximum permissible speed of the Vande Bharat train is 160 km/h. During the trial run, the Vande Bharat train clocked a speed of 183 km/h. Most of the Indian railway tracks are not capable of supporting very high speeds, so the average permissible running speed is around 120km/h.
- Maximum Speed: 183 km/h
- Avg Running Speed: 120 km/h
Vande Bharat Inaugural Run
The Inaugural Run of Vande Bharat Express was on 15 February 2019 between New Delhi and Varanasi. It was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. This Vande Bharat route begins from New Delhi Railway Station to Varanasi Junction via Kanpur and Prayagraj. The train covered a distance of 762 km in just 8 hours. The second Vande Bharat Express started running from Delhi to Katra (Jammu and Kashmir).
Mini Vande Bharat Express
The mini Vande Bharat train has 8 coaches and all the facilities of the 16-coach Vande Bharat Express. It is a mini version of Vande Bharat Express for the shorter routes of 4-5 hours. The mini version is planned to operate on shorter routes with less traffic and crowd.
Vande Metro
Vande Metro is a proposed service to cover a distance of around 100 km. The projected speed and frequency of Vande Metro will be around 130 km/h and will run 5-6 times a day.
Vande Sadharan Services
Vandhe Sadharan will be a non-AC train with general and sleeper coaches for long-distance operations. It is planned to replace the Jan Sadharan Express and Antyodaya Express. The Vande Sadharan train will have 24 coaches and two locomotives at both the front and rear ends to ensure efficient acceleration. Vande Sadharan trains will have features like bio-vacuum toilets, CCTV cameras, and charging points at every seat.
Upcoming Vande Bharat Express
Indian Railways is working on the new routes for Vande Bharat Express. The upcoming Vande Bharat trains include:
- Jammu – Srinagar Vande Bharat Express
- Amritsar – New Delhi Vande Bharat Express
- Haridwar – Varanasi Vande Bharat Express
- Kathgodam – New Delhi Vande Bharat Express
- Saharanpur – Lucknow – Prayagraj Vande Bharat Express
- Indore – Udhna Vande Bharat Express
- Vadodara – Pune Vande Bharat Express
- Ahmedabad – Mumbai Central Vande Bharat Express
- Bengaluru – Madurai Vande Bharat Express
- Bengaluru – Kalaburagi Vande Bharat Express
- Secunderabad – Nagpur Vande Bharat Express
- Secunderabad – Pune Vande Bharat Express
- Vijaywada – Tirupati – Bengaluru Vande Bharat Express
- Vijayawada – Visakhapatnam Vande Bharat Express
- Visakhapatnam – Tirupati Vande Bharat Express
- Bhubaneswar – Secunderabad Vande Bharat Express
- Puri – Raipur Vande Bharat Express
- Howrah – Bokaro Steel City Vande Bharat Express
- Tatanagar – Gaya – Varanasi Vande Bharat Express
- Ranchi – Deoghar Vande Bharat Express
- Patna – Deoghar Vande Bharat Express
- Shillong – Mendipathar Vande Bharat Express
- Gorakhpur – Patna Vande Bharat Express
- Gorakhpur – Varanasi Vande Bharat Express
- Gorakhpur – New Delhi Vande Bharat Express
- Lucknow – Dehradun Vande Bharat Express
- Lucknow – Varanasi Vande Bharat Express
- Lucknow – Patna Vande Bharat Express
- Prayagraj – Lucknow – Meerut Vande Bharat Express
- Prayagraj – Agra Vande Bharat Express
- Varanasi – Prayagraj – Ayodhya Vande Bharat Express
- Varanasi – New Delhi Vande Bharat Express
- Varanasi – Prayagraj – Jhansi Vande Bharat Express
How to Book a Ticket in Vande Bharat Express
There are many options to book a ticket in Vande Bharat, on the website, app, or through a third party. These are some basic steps for Vande Bharat train booking:
- Go to the IRCTC official website or download the app of IRCTC for Vande Bharat Express booking.
- Register yourself on the portal. Already registered users can log in through the credentials.
- Check for the Vande Bharat Express route list and select the dates, origin and destination.
- Now, check the Vande Bharat train timings and availability on the portal.
- Check the Vande Bharat Express ticket prices and select the seats.
- Fill out the details and make the payment. Vande Bharat train route ticket prices vary throughout India.
- The confirmation of the ticket and PNR number will be sent to your registered mobile number and email.
How to Check the Confirmation Status for Vande Bharat Express
To check the status for the confirmation status for the Vande Bharat Express ticket, you can log in to the IRCTC portal and check the status of your booking. The traveller will also receive a text message with the PNR number on their registered mobile and an email on their registered email.
Tips to Book a Confirmed Ticket in Vandebharat
Here are some tips that will help in Vande Bharat Express ticket booking:
- Try to book your tickets 2-3 months before the journey for ample availability.
- Use third-party apps for easy booking.
- For urgent booking, use the Tatkal ticket to confirm your Vande Bharat booking.
- If possible, plan your travel on the weekdays to avoid the rush.
- Why is Vande Bharat Popular?
Vande Bharat is a modern train with facilities like Wi-Fi, CCTV, charging points, and many more which made it a famous choice among travellers. The most important feature of Vande Bharat which attracts business class as well is time saving. It is the fastest long-route train in India with an average running speed of 120 km/hr and few halts. Vande Bharat provides a whole new state-of-the-art experience to travellers with the facilities provided by Indian Railways.
FAQs
Q: What is the Vande Bharat train ticket price?
A: Vande Bharat ticket price ranges from Rs 700 to Rs 3,000 according to the distance and class.
Q: What are the Vande Bharat Express timings?
A: Vande Bharat train timings may vary according to the stations and schedule. You can check the timing of your train on the Vande Bharat trains list.
Q. Where to go for Vande Bharat ticket booking?
A: You can check for Vande Bharat Express train ticket price and then book it on the official IRCTC website and app.
