Vande Bharat Express: A timeline of the train service as it turns 7 today

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. 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. ## 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 ### Vande Bharat Chair Car Train Services (164 Services) S.No. | Train Number | Route 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 ## 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. Anish Mondal is a journalist with over nine years of experience covering the railways and roadways. Currently a member of the Indianexpress.com editorial team, Anish specializes in high-impact sectors. Professional Journey Anish began his career at the public broadcaster Rajya Sabha Television (now Sansad TV), where he developed a foundational understanding of legislative processes and national governance. In 2018, he transitioned to digital financial journalism at FinancialExpress.com, spending nearly six years refining his expertise in market trends and corporate reporting. Before joining The Indian Express in 2025, he served as a key contributor at ETNowNews.com. Education & Expertise Anish’s reporting is backed by a rigorous academic background in communication and the humanities: Master of Journalism and Mass Communication (MJMC) – Apeejay Stya University Post Graduate Diploma in Journalism and Production (PGTVRJP) – Apeejay Institute of Mass Communication Bachelor of Arts (English Honours) – University of Calcutta Areas of Coverage Connectivity: Detailed reporting on the expansion of Indian Railways and National Highway networks. ... Read More