Prime Minister Narendra Modi has propelled India's rail connectivity forward, virtually inaugurating 10 new Vande Bharat trains, bringing the total count to over 50 and covering 45 nationwide routes.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi virtually inaugurated 10 new Vande Bharat trains, increasing the total count to over 50 and expanding the coverage to 45 nationwide routes. Currently, Indian Railways operates 41 Vande Bharat Express services, connecting states with Broad Gauge (BG) electrified networks across 24 states and 256 districts.
These new trains will run on six routes, including Delhi-Katra, Delhi-Varanasi, Mumbai-Ahmedabad, Mysuru-Chennai, Kasaragod–Thiruvananthapuram, and the latest addition, Visakhapatnam–Secunderabad. Vande Bharat trains primarily operate on electrified broad gauge networks, providing efficient connectivity across various states.
In December 2023, Prime Minister Modi inaugurated six additional Vande Bharat trains, including the second train connecting Katra to New Delhi. Other routes included Amritsar to Delhi, Coimbatore to Bangalore, Mangalore to Madgaon, Jalna to Mumbai, and Ayodhya to Delhi. The second train between Delhi and Varanasi was also launched during that period.
Additionally, the Prime Minister flagged off the extension of four Vande Bharat trains, connecting more destinations:
Ahmedabad-Jamnagar Vande Bharat is extended till Dwarka.
Ajmer-Delhi Sarai Rohilla Vande Bharat is extended till Chandigarh.
Gorakhpur-Lucknow Vande Bharat is extended till Prayagraj.
Thiruvananthapuram-Kasargod Vande Bharat is extended till Mangaluru.
Delhi will host the highest number of Vande Bharat trains among cities, with 10 trains terminating in the capital. Mumbai follows with six dedicated trains, including new services to Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar. Chennai boasts five trains, and the launch of the second Vande Bharat train for Mysuru is scheduled for Tuesday.