In a significant development for India's railway network, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to inaugurate 10 new Vande Bharat Express trains today, marking a milestone in the country's rail infrastructure. With this inauguration on March 12, the total count of Vande Bharat trains will soar to an impressive 51, traversing a vast network of 45 routes.
Among the notable routes receiving the Vande Bharat Express service are Kasaragod–Thiruvananthapuram, Delhi to Katra, Mumbai-Ahmedabad, Delhi to Varanasi, Mysuru-Chennai, and the newly added Visakhapatnam–Secunderabad route. Additionally, Jharkhand will welcome its third Vande Bharat train, with the Ranchi-Varanasi route set to become operational on March 18. This follows the successful launch of services between Ranchi and Patna, as well as Ranchi and Howrah in 2023.
Delhi emerges as a prominent hub in the Vande Bharat network, boasting connections to Amb Andaura, Amritsar, Ayodhya, Bhopal, Dehradun, and Khajuraho, among others. Mumbai and Chennai also feature prominently, with six and five Vande Bharat trains respectively. Furthermore, Mysuru is gearing up to welcome its second Vande Bharat train, enhancing connectivity in the southern region.
The new routes introduced with the Vande Bharat Express include Dehradun to Lucknow, Patna to Lucknow, and New Jalpaiguri to Patna. Additionally, trains will link Bhubaneswar with Visakhapatnam, Kalaburagi with Bengaluru, Ranchi with Varanasi, and Khajuraho with Delhi. Ahmedabad and Mumbai, as well as Secunderabad and Visakhapatnam, Bengaluru and Chennai, will also receive additional Vande Bharat services.
Saurabh Prasad, the Divisional Railway Manager of Waltair Division, confirmed that two new Vande Bharat Express trains will operate between Visakhapatnam and Bhubaneswar, providing enhanced connectivity in the region.
Moreover, some existing routes will see extensions, such as Thiruvananthapuram-Kasaragod extending to Mangaluru, Ahmedabad-Jamnagar reaching Dwarka, Gorakhpur-Lucknow stretching to Prayagraj, and the Ajmer-Delhi route expanding to Chandigarh. These extensions will further improve connectivity and accessibility for passengers across the country.