Vande Bharat Count Reaches 75 as Three New Routes Launch on Sunday
India’s Vande Bharat Express network will touch the 75-train milestone this Sunday with the launch of three new routes — Bengaluru–Belagavi, Amritsar–Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra, and Nagpur (Ajni)–Pune.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the development on X on Saturday. Commercial operations for the new trains will begin on Monday.
The Ajni–Pune service will be the longest chair car train journey in the country, taking 12 hours to cover nearly 900 km, surpassing the Duronto Express which takes around 13 hours. This eight-coach train will start from Ajni, about 3 km from Nagpur railway station, on the Delhi–Chennai line.
Among existing services, the Delhi–Varanasi Vande Bharat covers the longest distance at over 750 km, while the Tatanagar–Brahmapur train has the longest travel time at 9 hours 25 minutes.
The Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra–Amritsar train will complete its journey in 5 hours 40 minutes, with fares fixed at ₹1,005 for chair car and ₹1,890 for executive class. The return trip will take 5 hours 35 minutes, costing ₹1,170 and ₹2,085 respectively. The route includes stops at Amritsar, Beas, Jalandhar City, Pathankot Cantt, and Jammu Tawi.
The Bengaluru–Belagavi Vande Bharat will take 8 hours 20 minutes, priced at ₹1,575 (chair car) and ₹2,905 (executive). The return journey will take 8 hours 30 minutes, with fares of ₹1,630 and ₹2,955. It will halt at Dharwar, Hubballi, Haveri, Davangere, Tumakuru, and Yesvantpur Junction.
The first Vande Bharat was introduced in 2019. The government had aimed to roll out 75 trains during the 75 weeks of the Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav by August 15, 2024, but the milestone has been reached ahead of schedule — by August 2025.
