Vande Bharat Express train: The railways is likely to introduce three more Vande Bharat trains in south India. The BJP, under its Mission South, has been focussing on its performance in southern states in the next parliamentary elections in 2024. The assembly polls in Karnataka and Telangana are likely to be held later this year, while Andhra Pradesh is likely to see assembly polls in 2024.

Vande Bharat Express train new routes 

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The new Vande Bharat Express train routes being considered are:

1) Kacheguda in Telangana to Bengaluru in Karnataka

2) Secunderabad in Telangana to Tirupati in Andhra Pradesh and Pune in Maharashtra

Vande Bharat Express train: South India's routes

The railways launched south India's first Vande Bharat Express train on the Chennai-Bengaluru-Mysure route in November this year. Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagged off the fifth rake of Vande Bharat Express at the Krantiveera Sangolli Railway station in Bengaluru.

The Secunderabad-Vizag Vande Bharat Express, which was launched recently, has been running with 100 per cent occupancy since its launch, officials said. Sources said the railway divisions of the South Central Railway have been asked to upgrade the infrastructure of at least one of their coaching depots in Secunderabad, Hyderabad and Vijayawada divisions for the maintenance of Vande Bharat trains for these destinations.

Vande Bharat Express train: More routes to be added

The Indian Railways plans to run 75 Vande Bharat trains by the end of this year and 400 over the next three years.

Vande Bharat Express trains in India: Full list and routes

Vande Bharat Express train: Varanasi – New Delhi (22435)/ New Delhi – Varanasi (22436)  

 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.  

Vande Bharat Express train: New Delhi – SMVD KATRA (22439) / SMVD KATRA -New Delhi (22440)  

The second Vande Bharat Express is running from Delhi to Katra (Jammu and Kashmir). It was inaugurated by Amit Shah, Minister of Home Affairs on October 3, 2019, and started running commercially on October 5, 2019. The train makes a stop at Ambala Cantt, Ludhiana and Jammu Tawi. It runs six days a week, except Tuesday.  

Vande Bharat Express train: Mumbai Central- Gandhinagar CAP (20901)/ Gandhinagar CAP -Mumbai Central (20902)  

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.  

Vande Bharat Express train: New Delhi – Amb Andaura (22447) /Amb Andaura – New Delhi (22448)  

The fourth train was launched on October 13, 2022. The train is covering the route from  New Delhi, Haryana, Chandigarh, Punjab, and Himachal Pradesh. The train operates 6 days a week.  

Vande Bharat Express train: Chennai – Mysuru (20608)/ Mysuru- Chennai (20607)  

The fifth train was the Vande Bharat Express launched on November 10, 2022. The high-speed train has two stops at Katpadi and KRS Bengaluru.  

This train covers a distance of 479 KM. It is working for six days a week and doesn’t run on Wednesday.  

Vande Bharat Express train: Bilaspur Junction – Nagpur Junction (20825) /Nagpur – Bilaspur Junction (20826)  

The sixth Vande Bharat Express train was just launched on December 11, 2022. It is running from Bilaspur (Chhattisgarh) to Nagpur (Maharashtra). This train runs for six days a week. The train does not run on Saturdays. The train makes a stop in Raipur, Durg, Rajnandgaon and Gondia.  

Vande Bharat Express train: Howrah-New Jalpaiguri (22301) /New Jalpaiguri Junction – Howrah (22302)  

 The seventh Vande Bharat Express train was launched on December 30. The train takes 7 hours and 30 minutes to complete its journey. The Vande Bharat Express train runs 6 days a week except for Wednesday. 

Vande Bharat Express train: Visakhapatnam–Secunderabad (20833) / Secunderabad–Visakhapatnam train (20834)

The 8th Vande Bharat Express train was launched on January 15. Secunderabad-Visakhapatnam Vande Bharat Express will have stoppages at Visakhapatnam, Rajahmundry and Vijayawada stations in Andhra Pradesh and at Khammam, Warangal and Secunderabad stations in Telangana.

Vande Bharat Express train: Design and manufacturing 

The Vande Bharat Express is designed and manufactured by the Integral Coach Factory (ICF) at Perambur in Chennai under the flagship Make-in-India initiative.

Vande Bharat Express Train Speed 

The Vande Bharat Express can run up to a maximum commercial speed of 160 kmph. Currently, the train on Secunderabad-Vijayawada track via Kazipet can run at a maximum speed of 130 kmph.

Vande Bharat Express Train Facilities

1) The Vande Bharat Express has travel classes like Shatabdi Train, but with a better travel experience for passengers.

2) Each Vande Bharat has a total seating capacity of 1,128 passengers with all coaches equipped with automatic doors; a GPS-based audio-visual passenger information system, onboard hotspot Wi-Fi for entertainment purposes, and comfortable seating.

3) India launched its first semi high-speed train, the Vande Bharat Express, in 2019. The train, developed by the Integral Coach Factory (ICF), Chennai, has an intelligent braking system, enabling better acceleration and deceleration.

4) All the coaches are equipped with automatic doors, a GPS-based audio-visual passenger information system, onboard Wi-Fi and comfortable seats.

5) The executive class has rotating chairs. Bista inaugurated a foot overbridge and a VIP lounge at the Siliguri Junction railway station. 

Also Read | Vande Bharat Express train Nagpur-Bilaspur: Check ticket price, stops, timings, train number, route, time table | Nagpur-Bilaspur sixth Vande Bharat train