5 min readUpdated: Feb 15, 2026 05:09 PM IST
Vande Bharat Express Anniversary: Vande Bharat Express has completed seven years of service today, marking a key milestone in India’s semi-high-speed rail journey. The train was first launched on February 15, 2019, between New Delhi and Varanasi and was flagged off by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Vande Bharat Express Completes 7 Years
As on January 30, 2026, 164 Vande Bharat train services (or 82 trains) are operational across the vast network. These new age trains have been indigenously-designed and developed at Chennai-based Integral Coach Factory (ICF).
From 2019 to 2026: The seven-year journey of Vande Bharat Express
The Vande Bharat Express marks a shift from conventional locomotive-hauled trains to integrated train systems optimised for efficiency and safety. These trains have not only reduced travel time between major cities but also revolutionised rail journey across the country.
In a statement, the Ministry of Railways said: “Vande Bharat services have expanded rapidly across the national rail network. By December 2025, 164 Vande Bharat services had been operationalised in 274 districts, carrying more than 7.5 crore passengers.”
Seven years of Vande Bharat Express: From Blue to Saffron – A look at its colour and version
Over the past seven years, Indian Railways has introduced three versions of the Vande Bharat Express, along with three diffrent colour. Initially, the train was launched in a blue-and-white colour, which was later revised to an orange-and-white design. The latest and current version features an orange-and-grey colour variant.
Similarly, the Vande Bharat Express was initially introduced as Version 1 and later upgraded to Version 2 with enhanced safety features, better ride index and passenger amenities. The regular production of Vande Bharat Version 2 began at Chennai-based Integral Coach Factory in September 2022.
The first rake of the upgraded Vande Bharat Version 2.0 was inaugurated on September 30, 2022, on the Gandhinagar Capital–Mumbai Central route under Western Railway and has been in regular service since October 1, 2022.
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However, the latest Vande Bharat Version 3.0, which is currently operational on several routes, have enhanced performance parameters, including faster acceleration and improved ride quality. It is capable of accelerating from 0 to 100 kmph in about 52 seconds. It also incorporate modern onboard systems aligned with contemporary passenger service standards.
7-year journey of Vande Bharat Express: Coach configuration and Speed
In 2019, the Vande Bharat Express was launched as a 16-coach trainset equipped with modern passenger amenities such as automatic doors, a GPS-based passenger information system, onboard infotainment, and regenerative braking to enhance energy efficiency and operational sustainability. The fully air-conditioned train was designed for a maximum speed of 160 kmph.
With the introduction of Vande Bharat Version 2.0, the train witnessed significant upgrades beyond passenger amenities. It was re-designed for a maximum speed of 180 kmph, while maintaining an operational speed of 160 kmph, that continues with Version 3.0 trains. However, the actual running speed of the train depends on route readiness and infrastructure conditions.
At present, the Vande Bharat Express operates with three different coach configurations, comprising 8, 16 and 20 coaches.
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Vande Bharat Express train occupancy
In recent years, demand for the introduction of more Vande Bharat Express services on various routes has been rising. According to the national transporter, high occupancy of Vande Bharat reflects strong passenger demand for these services.
“Occupancy stood at 102.01 percent in 2024-25 and increased further to 105.03 per cent in 2025-26 (up to June 2025) demonstrating that faster, cleaner, and more reliable rail travel is not confined to metropolitan corridors but reflects a broader structural change in passenger preferences,” it said in a statement on January 16, 2026.
Full list of Vande Bharat Express trains in India
1
22435/22436
New Delhi – Varanasi Vande Bharat Express
2
22439/22440
Sri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra – New Delhi Vande Bharat Express
3
20901/20902
Gandhinagar Capital – Mumbai Central Vande Bharat Express
4
22447/22448
Amb Andura – New Delhi Vande Bharat Express
5
20607/20608
Mysuru – MGR Chennai Central Vande Bharat Express
6
20825/20826
Nagpur – Bilaspur Vande Bharat Express
7
22301/22302
New Jalpaiguri – Howrah Vande Bharat Express
8
20833/20834
Secunderabad – Visakhapatnam Vande Bharat Express
9
22223/22224
Sainagar Shirdi – Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj (T) Vande Bharat Express
10
22225/22226
Solapur – Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj (T) Vande Bharat Express
11
20171/20172
Nizamuddin – Rani Kamlapati Vande Bharat Express
12
20701/20702
Tirupati – Secunderabad Vande Bharat Express
13
20643/20644
Coimbatore – Chennai Vande Bharat Express
14
20977/20978
Chandigarh – Ajmer Vande Bharat Express
15
20633/20634
Thiruvananthapuram – Kasargod Vande Bharat Express
16
22895/22896
Puri – Howrah Vande Bharat Express
17
22457/22458
Dehradun – Anand Vihar Vande Bharat Express
18
22227/22228
Guwahati – New Jalpaiguri Vande Bharat Express
19
20911/20912
Nagpur – Indore Vande Bharat Express
20
22229/22230
Madgaon – Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj (T) Vande Bharat Express
21
22349/22350
Ranchi – Patna Vande Bharat Express
22
20661/20662
Dharwar – Bengaluru Vande Bharat Express
23
20173/20174
Rewa – Rani Kamlapati Vande Bharat Express
24
22549/22550
Gorakhpur – Prayagraj Vande Bharat Express
25
12461/12462
Sabarmati – Jodhpur Vande Bharat Express
26
22925/22926
Okha – Ahmedabad Vande Bharat Express
27
20665/20666
Tirunelveli – Chennai Egmore Vande Bharat Express
28
20677/20678
Narsapur – Chennai Vande Bharat Express
29
20703/20704
Yesvantpur – Kacheguda Vande Bharat Express
30
20631/20632
Thiruvananthapuram – Mangaluru Vande Bharat Express
31
20979/20980
Jaipur – Udaipur Vande Bharat Express
32
22347/22348
Patna – Howrah Vande Bharat Express
33
20835/20836
Puri – Rourkela Vande Bharat Express
34
20897/20898
Ranchi – Howrah Vande Bharat Express
35
22415/22416
New Delhi – Varanasi Vande Bharat Express
36
20641/20642
Coimbatore – Bengaluru Cantt. Vande Bharat Express
37
20645/20646
Mangaluru – Madgaon Vande Bharat Express
38
20705/20706
Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj (T) – Nanded Vande Bharat Express
39
22477/22478
Sri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra – New Delhi Vande Bharat Express
40
22425/22426
Anand Vihar – Ayodhya Cantt. Vande Bharat Express
41
22487/22488
Amritsar – Delhi Vande Bharat Express
42
22962/22961
Mumbai Central – Ahmedabad Vande Bharat Express
43
20707/20708
Visakhapatnam – Secunderabad Vande Bharat Express
44
20663/20664
Chennai – Mysuru Vande Bharat Express
45
22233/22234
Patna – New Jalpaiguri Vande Bharat Express
46
22470/22469
Khajuraho – Nizamuddin Vande Bharat Express
47
22231/22232
Bengaluru – Kalburagi Vande Bharat Express
48
20841/20842
Visakhapatnam – Bhubaneswar Vande Bharat Express
49
22345/22346
Gomti Nagar – Patna Vande Bharat Express
50
20887/20888
Varanasi – Ranchi Vande Bharat Express
51
22545/22546
Dehradun – Lucknow Jn Vande Bharat Express
52
22490/22489
Varanasi – Meerut City Vande Bharat Express
53
20981/20982
Agra cantt. – Udaipur Vande Bharat Express
54
20627/20628
Nagercoil – Chennai Egmore Vande Bharat Express
55
20671/20672
Bengaluru Cantt – Madurai Vande Bharat Express
56
22500/22499
Deoghar – Varanasi Vande Bharat Express
57
22309/22310
Jamalpur – Howrah Vande Bharat Express
58
20871/20872
Rourkela – Howrah Vande Bharat Express
59
20893/20894
Patna – Tatanagar Vande Bharat Express
60
20892/20891
Tatanagar – Brahmapur Vande Bharat Express
61
22303/22304
Gaya – Howrah Vande Bharat Express
62
20669/20670
Pune – Hubballi Vande Bharat Express
63
20673/20674
Pune – Chhatrapati Shahu Maharaj (T) Vande Bharat Express
64
20101/20102
Secunderabad – Nagpur Vande Bharat Express
65
20829/20830
Visakhapatnam – Durg Vande Bharat Express
66
21893/21894
Patna – Tatanagar Vande Bharat Express
67
21895/21896
Patna – Tatanagar Vande Bharat Express
68
20176/20175
Banaras – Agra Cantt. Vande Bharat Express
69
26901/26902
Veraval – Sabarmati Vande Bharat Express
70
26401/26402
Srinagar – Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra Vande Bharat Express
71
26403/26404
Srinagar – Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra Vande Bharat Express
72
26502/26501
Patliputra – Gorakhpur Vande Bharat Express
73
26751/26752
KSR Bengaluru – Belagavi Vande Bharat Express
74
26406/26405
Amritsar – Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra Vande Bharat Express
75
26101/26102
Pune – Ajni Vande Bharat Express
76
26302/26301
Jogbani – Danapur Vande Bharat Express
77
26481/26482
Delhi Cantt – Jodhpur Vande Bharat Express
78
26471/26472
Delhi Cantt – Bikaner Vande Bharat Express
79
26462/26461
Delhi – Firozpur Cantt. Vande Bharat Express
80
26651/26652
Ernakulam – KSR Bengaluru Vande Bharat Express
81
26506/26505
Khajuraho – Banaras Vande Bharat Express
82
26504/26503
Saharanpur – Gomtinagar Vande Bharat Express
Note: As on January 30, 2026, Indian Railways operates 164 Vande Bharat Chair Car services and 2 Vande Bharat Sleeper Express services. Overall occupancy during 2024-2025 was approximately 100%.
Express InfoGenIE
Features of Vande Bharat Express trains
The Vande Bharat Express trains have following features:
Fitted with KAVACH.
Jerk Free Semi-Permanent couplers.
Centrally controlled Automatic Plug Doors and Fully Sealed wider gangways.
Emergency Alarm Push buttons and Talk Back Units on all Coaches.
Improved fire safety – Aerosol based fire detection and suppression system in electrical cabinets and lavatories.
Higher acceleration with design/operating speed of 180/160 KMPH.
Driver-Guard communication with voice recording facility & Crash hardened memory.
Air conditioning units with indigenously developed UV-C lamp based disinfection system.
Better Ride Comfort.
CCTVs in all Coaches.
For Divyangjan passengers special lavatory in the driving coaches on each end.
Coach condition monitoring System (CCMS) display with remote monitoring.
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