How expensive is a Vande Bharat ticket? A data check
Vande Bharat Express on launch. With a deluge of new routes this year, India now has 25 pairs of Vande Bharat services, 18 of which have been launched in 2023. On most routes, the Vande Bharat has become the go-to option for its amenities and shorter travel time.
But right since its inaugural run, the model has also faced its share of ordeals, most notoriously hitting cattle on the tracks. Some routes have also faced low occupancy, for which the Centre recently allowed railway zones to cut fares by up to 25%. Vande Bharat fares are significantly higher than those of alternative trains.
Mint explores. In his 2021 Independence Day speech, Prime Minister Narendra Modi promised 75 Vande Bharat trains by 15 August 2023. Fifty services are running now, so expect more launches in the coming months.
Thirty of these services (15 pairs) have been launched in the four months of 2023-24, making up for lost time during the pandemic-led hiatus. All routes are short-distance daytime ones, and a sleeper class version is in the works for longer distances. Vande Bharat trains are designed to hit 180 km per hour at most.
But given unsuitable track conditions, speeds are mostly capped at 130 kmph—that too only in select sections of each route. So average speeds fall way short despite minimal halts and the quick acceleration and deceleration these trains take pride in. Yet, in all routes, the Vande Bharat trains are the quickest option.
The inaugural New Delhi-Varanasi route remains the fastest despite being the longest by distance, clocking an average 95 kmph. Vande Bharat trains save 65 minutes on average as compared to the next best train on each route, a Mint analysis showed. The average time saved is about 14% (range of 1-36%), but it
. Read more on livemint.com
