Vande Bharat Express trains have been making all the news lately. With a new train being launched almost every month, it is becoming difficult to remain up-to-date with all the recent developments taking place in the world of trains. Catch up with these semi-high-speed trains with this detailed guide to Vande Bharat Express, informing you about where all the trains are running, what the trains look like and everything else!
Trains are the pride of India! The country is home to the fourth largest national railway system in the world, coming after the USA, China and Russia. The history of trains is older than India’s independence! The first railway was built to connect Bombay to Thane in 1843 and ran over just 33 kilometres. Now, trains are connecting all the nooks and corners of our country, running from Kashmir to Kanyakumari.
As the country takes a step ahead into a brighter future, our trains have also become faster and more advanced. With the launch of Vande Bharat Express, the Indian railways aim to further improve train journey experience for millions of travellers around. But what is so special about these trains? If you have been wanting to learn more about these semi-high-speed trains, then here is all you need to know about Vande Bharat Express.
The Vande Bharat Express trains, formerly known as Train 18, are India’s first indigenous semi-high-speed trains. They are designed and manufactured by Integral Coach Factory, the manufacturer responsible for creating and maintaining the trains running in the country. It is managed by Indian Railways.
Considered to be a ‘Make in India’ success story, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced on India’s 75th Independence Day that 75 Vande Bharat trains will be flagged during the 75 weeks (1.4 years) of Amrit Mahotsav. Till now, six trains have been launched. That’s not all, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman added that four hundred new-generation trains will be developed during the next three years.
Vande Bharat Express speed:
The trains were planned to replace the Shatabdi Express, as they were being built to complete the same journey in 15% less time. While these semi-high-speed trains can achieve the maximum speed of 180km/h, they don’t run at such high speed because the Indian train tracks can’t withstand the speed. The Vande Bharat express train speed goes to 160km/h while running on the routes.
There are four versions of the Vande Bharat Express trains – VB1, VB2, VB3 and VB4. The VB1 and VB2 are all operating at the moment and have seater cars. The VB3 and VB4 are yet to be launched. VB3 will introduce sleeper cars and will achieve a high speed of 180km/h. The VB4 aims to achieve a high speed of 200 km/h and half the trainset will be tilting trains. Both VB3 and VB4 will have improved interior features and facilities.
Here are the 6 Vande Bharat Express Train routes:
Delhi – Varanasi
The first Vande Bharat Express train was inaugurated on February 18, 2019. The very first route is connecting the capital city of Delhi to the holy city of Varanasi (Uttar Pradesh), making stops at Thyagraj and Kanpur. This train runs five days a week, except Monday and Thursday. It completes the journey in 8 hours, reducing the travel time along the route by 15%.
Delhi – Katra
The second Vande Bharat Express is running from Delhi to Katra (Jammu and Kashmir), making the journey to Vaishno Devi faster than before. It was inaugurated by Amit Shah, Minister of Home Affairs on October 3, 2019, and started running commercially on October 5, 2019. The journey from Delhi to Katra has been reduced by 40%, completing the route in 8 hours. The train makes a stop at Ambala Cantt, Ludhiana and Jammu Tawi. It runs six days a week, except Tuesday. Another interesting thing is that this is India’s first vegetarian train.
Gandhinagar – Mumbai
The pandemic hindered the manufacturing of the Vande Bharat Express trains, leading the next instalment of the trains to come in 2022. The third train was launched on September 30, 2022. This train is covering the route from Gandhinagar (Gujarat) to Mumbai (Maharashtra) in under six hours. Other trains cover this route in under seven to eight hours. This train is a 2.0 version of Vande Bharat Express trains and is known to be faster, quieter and smoother. The train operates six days a week and doesn’t run on Sundays.
Delhi – Una
Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the fourth Vande Bharat Express on October 13, 2022. The train runs from Delhi to Una (Himachal Pradesh). The train officially started running on October 19, 2022. It stops at Ambala, Chandigarh, Anandpur Sahib and Una. This semi-high-speed train has brought Chandigarh closer to the national capital, by covering it in three hours. Most trains take at least three and a half hours to reach Chandigarh. It is running on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday.
Chennai – Mysuru
The fifth train was the Vande Bharat Express launched in South India! Covering the Chennai (Tamil Nadu) – Mysuru (Karnataka) route, the express train started running on November 10, 2022. The train stops at Katpadi and Bengaluru. The semi-high-speed train covers a distance of 479 kilometres in six hours and forty minutes. It is working for six days a week and doesn’t run on Wednesday.
Bilaspur – Nagpur
The sixth Vande Bharat Express train was just launched on December 11, 2022, by the Prime Minister. It is running from Bilaspur (Chhattisgarh) to Nagpur (Maharashtra) and reduces travel time to just five hours and thirty minutes! Most trains cover the same stretch in seven hours. Running for six days a week, the train does not run on Saturdays. The train makes a stop in Raipur, Durg, Rajnandgaon and Gondia.
Howrah – Jalpaiguri
North East India’s first Vande Bharat Express was launched on December 26, 2022. The seventh train to be pushed out, the train covers the route from Howrah (West Bengal) to Jalpaiguri (West Bengal) in seven to eight hours, reducing the time taken to complete the journey. The train operates six days a week and halts at Bolpur (Shantiniketan), Malda Town, and Barsoi.
Vande Bharat Express Interior: What is the difference between VB1 and VB2?
The Vande Bharat Express version 1 (VB1) are all the trains launched in 2019 – Delhi to Varanasi and Delhi to Katra. The Vande Express version 2 (VB2) was introduced in 2022 and till now four of them are fully operational – Gandhinagar to Mumbai, Delhi to Una, Chennai to Mysuru and Bilaspur to Nagpur.
The VB1 can accelerate to 100 km/h in 54.6 seconds. The trainset has 16 airconditioned passenger cars and weighs 430 tonnes in total. The VB1 trains can carry 1,128 passengers. It has executive and coach compartments. With only 52 seats in the executive coach, the trains have two first-class passenger compartments. The coach compartments have 78 seats each. Some of the features of the train include a GPS-based passenger information system, aircraft-like bio-vacuum toilets and the executive classes are equipped with rotational seats. The train cars also have 24-inches television screens for passenger information.
VB2 trains are faster than the VB1, they can accelerate to 100 km/h in just 52 seconds. It is also lighter than VB1 as it weighs 392 tonnes. VB2 also has 16 airconditioned passenger cars with the coach and executive class. There are several upgrades to the VB2, the passenger cars are equipped with larger television screens (32 inches), Wi-Fi onboard, touch-free sliding doors, automatic plug doors and reclinable seats in the coach cars. The air conditioning system is 15% more energy efficient in the VB2. The Indian railways are aiming to manufacture 75 more VB2 trains by August 2023.
Both versions of Vande Bharat Express have Indian toilets and western toilets.
Vande Bharat Express train ticket prices:
- Delhi to Varanasi: INR 1,670 (Coach) and INR 3,075 (Executive)
- Delhi to Katra: INR 1,665 (Coach) and INR 3,055 (Executive)
- Gandhinagar to Mumbai: INR 1,320 (Coach) and INR 2,415 (Executive)
- Delhi to Una: INR 990 (Coach) and INR 1,975 (Executive)
- Chennai to Mysuru: INR 1,200 (Coach) and INR 2,095 (Executive)
- Bilaspur to Nagpur: INR 1,075 (Coach) and INR 2,045 (Executive)
- Howrah to New Jalpaiguri: INR 1,565 (Coach) and INR 2,825 (Executive)
You can book the tickets for the Vande Bharat train from IRCTC, MakeMyTrip, goibibo and EaseMyTrip.
Vande Bharat Train Schedule:
- Delhi to Varanasi: 5 days a week, except Monday and Thursday
- Delhi to Katra: 6 days a week, except Tuesday
- Gandhinagar to Mumbai: 6 days a week, Sunday
- Delhi to Una: 6 days a week, Friday
- Chennai to Mysuru: 6 days a week, Wednesday
- Bilaspur to Nagpur: 6 days a week, Saturday
- Howrah to New Jalpaiguri: 6 days a week, Wednesday
Hero and feature image credit: Courtesy of Ministry of Railways/@RailMinIndia/Twitter
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Answer: Yes, food is served on all the Vande Bharat trains. Catering services have started.
Answer: Total six trains are fully operational.
Answer: Yes, all the train cars are fully air-conditioned.
Answer: No, the trains don't have a sleeper class yet. They are planning to add them in the future.
Answer: Yes, Vande Bharat trains have western toilets and Indian toilets.
Priyaja took her love for reading to the next level by majoring in English and minoring in Journalism at Lady Shri Ram College For Women (DU). She is extremely curious about the world and wishes to visit all the countries once in her life. She identifies as a foodie and loves to spend her free time exploring different cuisine and curating new dishes. As a former Food Writer at NDTV, she can help you find the best places to eat in Delhi!
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