Outlook Business Desk
Indian Railways will upgrade select Vande Bharat trains to longer formations, with services expanded to 16 and 20 coaches. This initiative aims to address rising passenger demand and improve travel comfort on high-occupancy routes.
Currently, Indian Railways operates 144 Vande Bharat train services. Passenger occupancy for 2024–25 averaged 102.01%, rising to 105.03% in the first quarter of 2025–26, indicating consistently high demand. Additionally, 10 Vande Bharat Sleeper trains are under production to further enhance service capacity.
Seven routes are targeted for upgrades: Mangaluru–Thiruvananthapuram, Secunderabad–Tirupati, Chennai–Tirunelveli, Madurai–Bengaluru, Deoghar–Varanasi, Howrah–Rourkela, and Indore–Nagpur. Trains on these routes will receive additional coaches to meet high occupancy demand efficiently.
Following the upgrades, older 8- and 16-coach trains will be redeployed for new services. This replacement strategy optimiaes train utilisation and allows Indian Railways to expand its Vande Bharat network efficiently.
The tentative augmentation plan uses passenger occupancy data up to 31 July 2025. Three 16-coach trains on Mangaluru, Secunderabad, and Chennai routes will shift to 20 coaches, while four 8-coach trains on other routes will upgrade to 16 coaches.
Dilip Kumar, Executive Director of Information and Publicity at the Railway Board, confirmed that the augmentation plan will utilise released train rakes for new services. Additional 20-coach Vande Bharat trains are being prepared, while one 16-coach train will also be available for augmentation on high-demand routes.
Longer Vande Bharat trains will reduce overcrowding, improve passenger comfort, and enhance operational efficiency. Upgrades ensure that high-demand routes can handle rising ridership while enabling the launch of new services efficiently.