Indian Railways, Vande Bharat Express: Indian Railways (IR) has introduced Vande Bharat Express trains to provide better travel experience to the passengers. Manufactured by Chennai-based Integral Coach Factory (ICF), these semi-high-speed trains are equipped with modern coaches, advanced safety features and passenger amenities.
How many Vande Bharat trains are operating in India?
At present, a total of 144 Vande Bharat Express trains are running across various routes in the country. Of these, 22 Vande Bharat train services catering to the needs of various stations located in Maharashtra and eight Vande Bharat train services are catering to the needs of various stations of Madhya Pradesh.
What is the passenger occupancy of Vande Bharat Express train?
According to the latest data, the Vande Bharat Express trains have been running with over 100 per cent on all routes.
Vande Bharat trains occupancy analysis
The overall occupancy of Vande Bharat Express trains in the financial year 2024-25 is 102.01 per cent. However, in the ongoing fiscal year i.e. FY26, the passenger occupancy of these new age trains are 105.03 per cent (till June 2025).
“The overall occupancy of Vande Bharat Express trains in Financial Year 2024-25 & 2025-26 (till June, 2025) is 102.01% & 105.03% respectively,” Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw informed Lok Sabha on Wednesday (July 30, 2025).
Vande Bharat Express train features
- Fitted with KAVACH.
- Higher acceleration with design/operating speed of 180/160 kmph.
- Air conditioning units with indigenously developed UV-C lamp based disinfection system.
- Jerk Free Semi-Permanent couplers.
- Centrally controlled Automatic Plug Doors and Fully Sealed wider gangways.
- Better Ride Comfort.
- CCTVs in all Coaches.
- 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.
- For Divyangjan passengers special lavatory in the driving coaches on each end.
- Driver-Guard communication with voice recording facility & Crash hardened memory.
- Coach condition monitoring System (CCMS) display with remote monitoring.
Currently, Vande Bharat Express trains are running in three different coach variants – 8, 16, and 20 coaches. The train offers two types of seating arrangements: Chair Car (CC) and Executive Chair Car (EC).
