# Vande Bharat Express

Vande Bharat Express is a medium to long-distance semi-high speed superfast express service operated by Indian Railways. It is a reserved, air-conditioned chair car service connecting cities that are less than 800 km (500 mi) apart or take less than ten hours to travel with existing services and a planned reserved, air-conditioned sleeper service connecting cities that are 800 km (500 mi) to 1,200 km (750 mi) apart. The train was a part of the 'Make in India' initiative by the government and entered commercial service on 15 February 2019.
The chair car trainsets are self-propelling Electric Multiple Units (EMUs) with eight, sixteen or twenty coaches. The trainset was designed and manufactured by Integral Coach Factory in Chennai. Introduced in 2018, the trainsets achieved semi-high speeds of 183 km/h (114 mph) on trials, and crossed target trial speed of 180 km/h (110 mph) on trials, but the maximum operational speed is 160 km/h (99 mph) which is achieved by the Rani Kamalapati (Habibganj)–Hazrat Nizamuddin Vande Bharat Express and Hazrat Nizamuddin-Khajuraho Vande Bharat Express on the Tughlakabad–Agra section. This is the highest operational speed on the Indian Railways network, shared with Gatimaan Express over the same section. A notable feature of Vande Bharat Express is its faster acceleration and deceleration, because of which it went from 0 to 100 km/h in just 52 seconds during trial which is quicker than some high-speed trains. The sleeper trainsets are EMUs with sixteen coaches.

## History
### Efforts to increase speed (1960–2016)

In 1960, the Railway Board of India commissioned a study to increase the speed of its trains, which was restricted to 96 km/h (60 mph) on the existent broad gauge lines. A target of 160 km/h (99 mph) with an intermediate stage of 120 km/h (75 mph) was set for passenger trains. Research Design and Standards Organisation (RDSO) started work on the same and using the coaches were manufactured by the Integral Coach Factory (ICF) at Madras and hauled by diesel locomotives, Rajdhani Express capable of reaching speeds of up to 120 km/h (75 mph) were introduced in 1969. With the introduction of WAP-1 electric locomotives, Shatabdi Express introduced in 1988, were capable of running at a maximum speed of 130 km/h (81 mph).
From the late 1990s, the ICF coaches were replaced by safer and newer LHB coaches designed by Linke-Hofmann-Busch of Germany. In December 2009, the Ministry of Railways of Government of India envisaged the implementation of high-speed rail projects to provide services at 250–350 km/h (160–220 mph) with the upgradation of existing tracks, construction of new lines and introduction of high speed trainsets. In 2014, proposals were made to introduce semi-high-speed 160–200 km/h (99–124 mph) services between major cities. In 2016, Gatimaan Express was inaugurated which achieved speeds of 160 km/h (99 mph) between Delhi and Agra.
In June 2016, Indian Railways sought Requests For Qualification (RFQ) to jointly manufacture five thousand Electric Multiple Unit (EMU) sets with interested international and domestic parties. In 2015, Talgo conducted trial runs on the Mumbai–Delhi line, completing the journey in ten hours, almost six hours quicker than the existing fastest train with an average speed of 117.5 km/h (73.0 mph). There were significant issues such as the adaptation of rakes, maintenance, higher costs and robustness. Indian Railways could not reach a direct agreement and the deal never materialised.

### Making an indigenous trainset (2016–19)

After foreign proposals for introducing semi-high-speed trains were unsuccessful, the Make in India campaign fuelled the cause for developing the next generation EMU semi-high-speed trainsets locally. ICF worked on an indigenous design, which was constructed at the Integral Coach Factory. These trainsets known as Train 18 initially, were introduced in 2018 and reached speeds of up to 183 km/h (114 mph) in trials. These trainsets were later renamed to Vande Bharat.

### Introduction and further (2019–present)

On 15 February 2019, the first Vande Bharat Express between New Delhi and Varanasi was flagged off at the New Delhi railway station by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The train covered a distance of 759 km (472 mi) in 8 hours at an average speed of 95 km/h (59 mph) and reduced the existing travel time along the route by 15%. In October 2019, the second service was launched between New Delhi and Katra.
After the inauguration of the first two services, Indian Railways stopped production of new train-sets owing to internal issues. In 2019, Indian Railways resumed tenders for the production of new sets with more time provided to come up with the cheapest bid for the upgrades required. The second generation trainsets entered service on 30 September 2022. Since Vande Bharat trains provide fast service across short-distances, similar to the Shatabdi Express, the trains will eventually replace the existing Shatabdis and Rajdhanis. In December 2023, the Government announced a target to have 4,500 Vande Bharat trains by 2047.

### Sleeper version (2023-present)

As of 2023, ICF was developing a long-distance version of the Vande Bharat trainset with sleeper cars. The first prototype was rolled out by BEML in September 2024. The first trainset was expected to be ready for testing by 20 September and enter commercial service by December 2024.

## Rolling stock

Vande Bharat Express uses Electric Multiple Unit (EMU) trainsets manufactured by Integral Coach Factory in Chennai. The trainsets have eight, sixteen or twenty chair cars. A standard sixteen car rake consists of two Driving Trailer Coaches, one each on every end along with two non-driver trailer coaches, four trailer coaches with pantographs and eight motor coaches. A second generation sixteen car trainset weighs 392 tonnes and costs ₹115 crore (US$13 million). The chassis of a coach is 23 m (75 ft) long, and is made of stainless steel.
During its trial runs, the trainsets had clocked speeds of up to 183 km/h (114 mph) with an acceleration of 0–100 km/h (0–62 mph) in 52 seconds. The operational speed is limited due to track restrictions, halts and traffic congestion. The maximum operational speed of 160 km/h (99 mph) is achieved by the Rani Kamalapati (Habibganj)–Hazrat Nizamuddin Vande Bharat Express and Hazrat Nizamuddin-Khajuraho Vande Bharat Express on the 174 km (108 mi) Tughlakabad–Agra section.

## Facilities

The train has two classes of accommodation with the AC Executive Class being the premium class and the AC chair being the other. The executive class coach can seat 52 passengers and is equipped with rotating seats in a 2x2 configuration. The chair car coaches can seat 78 passengers per coach (44 in first and last coaches) and are equipped with retractable seats in 2x3 configuration. The coaches are fully air conditioned and equipped with electric outlets, reading lights, CCTV cameras, automatic doors, bio-vacuum toilets, Sensor-based water taps and Passenger information system. The coaches have wider windows with roller blinds and overhead racks for luggage. The service offers onboard catering with both vegetarian and non-vegetarian meal options included in the fare as standard.

## Services

The first service was introduced in February 2019. By December 2023, about 35 trains were operational. As of March 2025, 66 Vande Bharat trains are in service, which includes 16 sixteen-car services, 07 twenty-car services and 43 eight-car services.
| Service | Zone | Cars | Distance | Travel time | Speed | Speed | Inaugural run |
| Service | Zone | Cars | Distance | Travel time | Maximum | Average | Inaugural run |
| New Delhi–Varanasi | NR | 20 | 759 km (472 mi) | 8h 00m | 130 km/h (81 mph) | 95 km/h (59 mph) | 15 February 2019 |
| New Delhi–SMVD Katra | NR | 20 | 655 km (407 mi) | 8h 05m | 130 km/h (81 mph) | 81 km/h (50 mph) | 3 October 2019 |
| Mumbai Central–Gandhinagar Capital | WR | 16 | 522 km (324 mi) | 6h 25m | 130 km/h (81 mph) | 81 km/h (50 mph) | 30 September 2022 |
| New Delhi–Amb Andaura | NR | 16 | 412 km (256 mi) | 5h 15m | 130 km/h (81 mph) | 79 km/h (49 mph) | 13 October 2022 |
| Chennai Central–Mysuru | SR | 16 | 496 km (308 mi) | 6h 30m | 130 km/h (81 mph) | 76 km/h (47 mph) | 11 November 2022 |
| Bilaspur–Nagpur | SECR | 8 | 412 km (256 mi) | 5h 30m | 130 km/h (81 mph) | 75 km/h (47 mph) | 11 December 2022 |
| Howrah–New Jalpaiguri | ER | 16 | 566 km (352 mi) | 7h 30m | 130 km/h (81 mph) | 75 km/h (47 mph) | 30 December 2022 |
| Visakhapatnam–Secunderabad | ECoR | 20 | 698 km (434 mi) | 8h 35m | 130 km/h (81 mph) | 81 km/h (50 mph) | 15 January 2023 |
| Mumbai CSMT–Solapur | CR | 16 | 454 km (282 mi) | 6h 35m | 130 km/h (81 mph) | 69 km/h (43 mph) | 10 February 2023 |
| Mumbai CSMT–Sainagar Shirdi | CR | 16 | 343 km (213 mi) | 5h 10m | 130 km/h (81 mph) | 66 km/h (41 mph) | 10 February 2023 |
| Rani Kamalapati (Habibganj)–Hazrat Nizamuddin | WCR | 16 | 702 km (436 mi) | 7h 36m | 160 km/h (99 mph) | 92 km/h (57 mph) | 1 April 2023 |
| Secunderabad–Tirupati | SCR | 16 | 662 km (411 mi) | 8h 19m | 130 km/h (81 mph) | 80 km/h (50 mph) | 8 April 2023 |
| Chennai Central–Coimbatore | SR | 8 | 495 km (308 mi) | 6h 00m | 130 km/h (81 mph) | 82 km/h (51 mph) | 8 April 2023 |
| Ajmer–Chandigarh | NWR | 20 | 678 km (421 mi) | 8h 25m | 130 km/h (81 mph) | 81 km/h (50 mph) | 12 April 2023 |
| Kasaragod–Thiruvananthapuram | SR | 20 | 586 km (364 mi) | 8h 10m | 110 km/h (68 mph) | 72 km/h (45 mph) | 25 April 2023 |
| Howrah–Puri | SER | 16 | 500 km (310 mi) | 6h 25m | 130 km/h (81 mph) | 78 km/h (48 mph) | 18 May 2023 |
| Dehradun–Anand Vihar Terminal | NR | 8 | 302 km (188 mi) | 4h 45m | 110 km/h (68 mph) | 64 km/h (40 mph) | 25 May 2023 |
| New Jalpaiguri–Guwahati | NFR | 8 | 407 km (253 mi) | 5h 30m | 110 km/h (68 mph) | 74 km/h (46 mph) | 29 May 2023 |
| Mumbai CSMT–Madgaon | CR | 8 | 580 km (360 mi) | 7h 45m | 120 km/h (75 mph) | 75 km/h (47 mph) | 27 June 2023 |
| Patna–Ranchi | ECR | 8 | 380 km (240 mi) | 6h 00m | 130 km/h (81 mph) | 63 km/h (39 mph) | 27 June 2023 |
| KSR Bengaluru–Dharwad | SWR | 8 | 490 km (300 mi) | 6h 25m | 110 km/h (68 mph) | 76 km/h (47 mph) | 27 June 2023 |
| Rani Kamalapati (Habibganj)–Rewa | WCR | 8 | 568 km (353 mi) | 8h 00m | 110 km/h (68 mph) | 71 km/h (44 mph) | 27 June 2023 |
| Indore–Nagpur | WR | 8 | 636 km (395 mi) | 8h 20m | 110 km/h (68 mph) | 76 km/h (47 mph) | 27 June 2023 |
| Jodhpur–Sabarmati (Ahmedabad) | NWR | 8 | 449 km (279 mi) | 6h 00m | 130 km/h (81 mph) | 75 km/h (47 mph) | 7 July 2023 |
| Gorakhpur–Prayagraj | NER | 8 | 497 km (309 mi) | 7h 30m | 110 km/h (68 mph) | 66 km/h (41 mph) | 7 July 2023 |
| Udaipur–Jaipur | NWR | 8 | 435 km (270 mi) | 6h 20m | 130 km/h (81 mph) | 69 km/h (43 mph) | 24 September 2023 |
| Chennai Central–Vijayawada | SR | 8 | 514 km (319 mi) | 6h 40m | 130 km/h (81 mph) | 77 km/h (48 mph) | 24 September 2023 |
| Chennai Egmore–Tirunelveli | SR | 16 | 650 km (400 mi) | 7h 50m | 110 km/h (68 mph) | 83 km/h (52 mph) | 24 September 2023 |
| Kacheguda–Yesvantpur | SCR | 8 | 612 km (380 mi) | 8h 15m | 110 km/h (68 mph) | 74 km/h (46 mph) | 24 September 2023 |
| Patna–Howrah | ECR | 16 | 532 km (331 mi) | 6h 35m | 130 km/h (81 mph) | 81 km/h (50 mph) | 24 September 2023 |
| Ranchi–Howrah | SER | 8 | 458 km (285 mi) | 7h 10m | 130 km/h (81 mph) | 64 km/h (40 mph) | 24 September 2023 |
| Puri–Rourkela | ECoR | 8 | 506 km (314 mi) | 7h 45m | 130 km/h (81 mph) | 65 km/h (40 mph) | 24 September 2023 |
| Mangaluru Central–Thiruvananthapuram | SR | 8 | 620 km (390 mi) | 8h 40m | 110 km/h (68 mph) | 72 km/h (45 mph) | 24 September 2023 |
| Ahmedabad–Okha | WR | 8 | 499 km (310 mi) | 6h 30m | 110 km/h (68 mph) | 77 km/h (48 mph) | 24 September 2023 |
| Varanasi–New Delhi | NR | 20 | 759 km (472 mi) | 8h 05m | 130 km/h (81 mph) | 94 km/h (58 mph) | 18 December 2023 |
| Anand Vihar Terminal–Ayodhya Cantt. | NR | 16 | 628 km (390 mi) | 8h 20m | 130 km/h (81 mph) | 75 km/h (47 mph) | 30 December 2023 |
| SMVD Katra–New Delhi | NR | 20 | 655 km (407 mi) | 8h 10m | 130 km/h (81 mph) | 80 km/h (50 mph) | 30 December 2023 |
| Amritsar–Delhi Junction | NR | 8 | 447 km (278 mi) | 5h 30m | 130 km/h (81 mph) | 81 km/h (50 mph) | 30 December 2023 |
| Coimbatore–Bengaluru Cantt. | SR | 8 | 374 km (232 mi) | 6h 25m | 110 km/h (68 mph) | 58 km/h (36 mph) | 30 December 2023 |
| Mangaluru Central–Madgaon | SR | 8 | 319 km (198 mi) | 5h 30m | 120 km/h (75 mph) | 58 km/h (36 mph) | 30 December 2023 |
| Jalna–Mumbai CSMT | SCR | 8 | 435 km (270 mi) | 6h 50m | 110 km/h (68 mph) | 64 km/h (40 mph) | 30 December 2023 |
| Kalaburagi–SMVT Bengaluru | CR | 8 | 548 km (341 mi) | 8h 45m | 130 km/h (81 mph) | 63 km/h (39 mph) | 12 March 2024 |
| New Jalpaiguri–Patna | NFR | 8 | 473 km (294 mi) | 6h 55m | 130 km/h (81 mph) | 68 km/h (42 mph) | 12 March 2024 |
| Lucknow–Dehradun | NER | 8 | 545 km (339 mi) | 8h 20m | 110 km/h (68 mph) | 65 km/h (40 mph) | 12 March 2024 |
| Ahmedabad–Mumbai Central | WR | 16 | 493 km (306 mi) | 5h 25m | 130 km/h (81 mph) | 91 km/h (57 mph) | 12 March 2024 |
| Mysuru–Chennai Central | SWR | 8 | 497 km (309 mi) | 6h 25m | 130 km/h (81 mph) | 77 km/h (48 mph) | 12 March 2024 |
| Hazrat Nizamuddin–Khajuraho | NR | 8 | 660 km (410 mi) | 8h 20m | 160 km/h (99 mph) | 79 km/h (49 mph) | 12 March 2024 |
| Secunderabad–Visakhapatnam | SCR | 16 | 698 km (434 mi) | 8h 45m | 130 km/h (81 mph) | 80 km/h (50 mph) | 12 March 2024 |
| Ranchi–Varanasi | SER | 8 | 539 km (335 mi) | 7h 50m | 110 km/h (68 mph) | 69 km/h (43 mph) | 12 March 2024 |
| Bhubaneswar–Visakhapatnam | ECoR | 8 | 444 km (276 mi) | 5h 45m | 130 km/h (81 mph) | 77 km/h (48 mph) | 12 March 2024 |
| Patna–Gomti Nagar (Lucknow) | ECR | 8 | 545 km (339 mi) | 8h 25m | 130 km/h (81 mph) | 65 km/h (40 mph) | 12 March 2024 |
| Chennai Egmore–Nagercoil | SR | 16 | 724 km (450 mi) | 8h 50m | 110 km/h (68 mph) | 82 km/h (51 mph) | 31 August 2024 |
| Madurai–Bengaluru Cantt. | SR | 8 | 573 km (356 mi) | 7h 45m | 110 km/h (68 mph) | 74 km/h (46 mph) | 31 August 2024 |
| Meerut–Lucknow Charbagh | NR | 8 | 459 km (285 mi) | 7h 10m | 110 km/h (68 mph) | 64 km/h (40 mph) | 31 August 2024 |
| Udaipur–Agra Cantt. | NWR | 8 | 610 km (380 mi) | 8h 45m | 130 km/h (81 mph) | 70 km/h (43 mph) | 2 September 2024 |
| Tatanagar–Patna | SER | 8 | 451 km (280 mi) | 7h 15m | 130 km/h (81 mph) | 62 km/h (39 mph) | 15 September 2024 |
| Tatanagar–Brahmapur | SER | 8 | 587 km (365 mi) | 9h 05m | 130 km/h (81 mph) | 65 km/h (40 mph) | 15 September 2024 |
| Howrah–Rourkela | SER | 8 | 412 km (256 mi) | 5h 50m | 130 km/h (81 mph) | 71 km/h (44 mph) | 15 September 2024 |
| Howrah–Gaya | ER | 16 | 459 km (285 mi) | 5h 40m | 130 km/h (81 mph) | 81 km/h (50 mph) | 15 September 2024 |
| Howrah–Bhagalpur | ER | 8 | 386 km (240 mi) | 6h 20m | 130 km/h (81 mph) | 61 km/h (38 mph) | 15 September 2024 |
| Varanasi–Deoghar | NR | 8 | 456 km (283 mi) | 7h 20m | 130 km/h (81 mph) | 62 km/h (39 mph) | 15 September 2024 |
| SSS Hubballi–Pune | SWR | 8 | 559 km (347 mi) | 8h 30m | 110 km/h (68 mph) | 66 km/h (41 mph) | 16 September 2024 |
| SCSMT Kolhapur–Pune | CR | 8 | 326 km (203 mi) | 5h 15m | 110 km/h (68 mph) | 62 km/h (39 mph) | 16 September 2024 |
| Agra Cantt.–Banaras | NCR | 8 | 573 km (356 mi) | 7h 00m | 130 km/h (81 mph) | 82 km/h (51 mph) | 16 September 2024 |
| Nagpur–Secunderabad | CR | 8 | 575 km (357 mi) | 7h 15m | 130 km/h (81 mph) | 79 km/h (49 mph) | 16 September 2024 |
| Durg–Visakhapatnam | SECR | 8 | 567 km (352 mi) | 8h 00m | 130 km/h (81 mph) | 71 km/h (44 mph) | 16 September 2024 |