Indian railways are the pride of India! The country has the fourth-largest national railway network in the world, connecting Kashmir to Kanyakumari. Indian railways have been transforming with new routes, superfast express, and special trains to improve comfort while traveling. The Ministry of Railway laid more emphasis on the development and operation of trains.
To improve connectivity and elevate the train journey express, Vande Bharat Express was introduced by the Indian Railways to encourage people to travel to iconic places in India. With the launch of Vande Bharat, Indian Railways aims to improve traveling experiences with the fastest reach to the destination. The train was named Train 18 as India’s first indigenous semi-high-speed train. It was designed and manufactured by the manufacturer – Integral Coach factory, in Chennai.
India’s prime minister, Mr. Narendra Modi, addressed the event of 75th Independence Day and announced the launch of 75 Vande Bharat trains across the country to promote the ‘Make in India’ campaign. Now, India gets Eighteen Vande Bharat trains launched and expects to witness more within three years.
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Speed of Vande Bharat Express
The Ministry of Railways has launched the Vande Bharat Express with a vision to replace Shatabdi Express with more speed & finish the same journey in less than 15% time. Under these semi-high-speed trains, passengers will travel at the maximum speed of 180 km/h, as beyond this range, Indian train tracks cannot withstand. The express train runs at 160 km/h while traveling to certain routes.
Vande Bharat Express trains were launched in four versions – VB1, VB2, VB3, & VB4. Also, VB1 and VB2 versions with seated cars are operating & running at the moment. However, VB3 & VB4 are yet to be launched in India. Under the VB3, there will be sleeper cars with an average high speed of 180 km/h. VB4 version aims to level up the capacity with a speed of 200km/h. It would be interesting to witness the advanced version of Vande Bharat Express, passengers can enjoy traveling with IRCTC ticket booking with Railofy.
Vande Bharat Express Train Routes
Recently, India had a different Vande Bharat Express train route that is currently functioning. Let’s go through them one by one to know about the relevant details.
Delhi to Varanasi Junction
On February 18, 2019, the 1st Vande Bharat Express was inaugurated in India. To start the journey, the Indian Railway chose the capital city of Delhi connecting to Varanasi (Uttar Pradesh) – the holy city of Lord Shiva with stops at Thyagraj and Kanpur. The train was scheduled to run five days a week, excluding Thursday and Monday. To reduce the travel timing by 15%, it covers the entire journey within 8 hours. For this route, IRCTC bookings are available on the official website, or you can use Railofy!
Delhi to Katra
The next Vande Bharat Express on the list is the route between Delhi to Katra – Jammu & Kashmir. It was inaugurated on October 3, 2019, by Amit Shah, Minister of Home Affairs. The journey takes the passenger to Vaishno Devi in the fastest way possible. This train cut down the travel timing by almost 40% and completed the traveling in 8 hours. Also, it covers the stoppage of Ambala Cantt, Jammu Tawi, and Ludhiana. The train runs for six days for the entire week, excluding Tuesday. Another interesting fact about this route train is that it is India’s first vegetarian train.
Gandhinagar to Mumbai
Due to the pandemic outbreak, the manufacturing of Vande Bharat Express trains got hindered & the next train installment shifted toward 2022. So, the third train was launched on 30 September 2022. The train journey starts with Gandhinagar(Gujrat) to Mumbai (Maharashtra) within six hours, while other trains take eight & above hours. It was introduced as the 2.0 version of Vande Bharat Express as the fastest, quicker, and smoothest solution for the journey. It was scheduled for six days a week, expecting Sundays. Enjoy the train experience with IRCTC bookings for traveling on this route.
Delhi to Una
On October 13, 2022, the 4th Vande Bharat Express was inaugurated by Narendra Modi, prime minister of India & officially operated from October 19. The train covers the route from Delhi to Una ( Himachal Pradesh), along with stops at Chandigarh, Ambala, Anandpur Sahib, and Una. With this semi-high-speed train, you can cover the journey from Chandigarh to Delhi within three hours. The train is running for the entire week except Friday.
Chennai to Mysuru
On November 10, 2022, the fifth Vande Bharat Express was launched in South India! It covers the state of Chennai (Tamil Nadu) – Mysuru (Karnataka) routes. It has a few stoppages at Katpadi and Bengaluru. This semi-high-speed train makes your journey short at 6 hours & 40 minutes for a distance of 479 kilometers. Right now, it is scheduled for six days a week, except Wednesday. To travel from Chennai to Mysuru, get your IRCTC ticket booking done with Railofy.
Howrah to New Jalpaiguri Vande Bharat Express
PM Modi introduce the first Vande Bharat Express train in West Bengal on December 30, 2022. Currently, the train is running for six days except Wednesday. The train timing ranges from Howrah Junction at 05:55 am and reaches New Jalpaiguri at 1:25 pm. The train covers a distance of 454 km in 7 hours and 30 minutes.
Secunderabad to Visakhapatnam
This Vande Bharat Express is running between Telangana’s Secunderabad and Andhra Pradesh’s port city of Visakhapatnam. The train is scheduled for 6 days except Sunday. The train starts at 3:00 pm from Secunderabad Junction and arrives at 11:30 pm in Visakhapatnam Railway Station.
Howrah to Jalpaiguri
On December 26, 2022, the seventh train ‘North East India’s first Vande Bharat Express’ was launched in India. This train starts the journey from Howrah (West Bengal) to Jalpaiguri (West Bengal) in 7 to 8 hours. The train is scheduled for six days a week and halts at the station of Malda Town, Bolpur (Shantiniketan), and Barsoi.
Book Your Vande Bharat Tickets With Railofy!
So, if you are planning your next trips with Vande Bharat Express & looking for a trusted website for IRCTC ticket bookings, check out Railofy – a Premium partner of IRCTC, to book your train journey. Explore the train details, timing, and PNR status of booked tickets. Apart from IRCTC bookings with travel guarantees for waiting lists & RAC tickets, we provide the cleanest food on the train from top restaurants with our Railofy App.
