Indian Railways has been considered to be one of the most prominent means of transportation across the country as it delivers fast connectivity and time-saving journeys to both passengers and freight. The sector has been effective in covering long distances for more than a century,
Now, the Modi government has been putting more dedicated efforts into enhancing the convenience and comfort of Indians via railway traveling. The administration has been launching various initiatives and various train services - in regions that were not explored earlier. Many major changes have been witnessed in the railway industry, from 100% electrification of railway tracks to the launching of new trains.
The notable upliftment has been witnessed by the trains like Vande Bharat. Here are a few details about the train service -
The first Vande Bharat -
Vande Bharat is considered to be one of the most efficient trains by Indian Railways. It provides all sorts of privileges, from comfortable to fast to modern traveling. Recalling the journey of Vande Bharat Express in India, let’s know the first launched service.
The first-ever train was launched in February 2019, and it was between Varanasi and New Delhi. The train numbers 22435 and 22436 were the allotted trains between the two cities.
The details are as follows:
Inauguration Date: February 18, 2019
First-ever train: It was the very first train service between New Delhi and Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh.
Major stops: During the journey, the train stops at two stations, Prayagraj and Kanpur.
Days of Operation: The train runs for five days of the week, including Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.
Since then, the train service by Vande Bharat has only increased. By December 2023, as many as 35 Vande Bharat trains were running on the Indian track, and by January 2025, the number reached 66, out of which 15 trains were with 16 coaches, eight trains were with 20 coaches, and 43 trains were with eight coaches.
Average ticket price rates -
On average, ticket pricing for the Vande Bharat Express varies on the basis of the class of travel and the routes.
For Economy Class, the rate ranges from Rs 1,052 to Rs 1,262 for general and tatkal tickets, respectively, and for Premium Class, which is also known as Executive Chair, the price ranges from Rs 1,869 to Rs 2,299 for general and tatkal, respectively.
The latest Vande Bharat Express service:
The newly launched Vande Bharat Express is between Katra and Srinagar; it is considered to be the first-ever train on the mentioned route. Reportedly, this train has been designed to travel in the tough and mountainous terrains between Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra (SVDK) and Srinagar.
This train will run on the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link project, which is also called the USBRL project.