New Delhi: Indian Railways is set to increase the capacity of its Vande Bharat trains by adding more coaches on seven high-demand routes.
The decision comes as the trains continue to register high occupancy, with an average of 102.01 per cent in 2024-25 and 105.03 per cent in the first quarter of 2025-26.
Under the plan, three existing 16-coach Vande Bharat trains will be upgraded to 20-coach formations, while four eight-coach services will be expanded to 16 coaches.
The routes identified for the upgrade include Mangaluru Central–Thiruvananthapuram Central, Secunderabad–Tirupati, Chennai Egmore–Tirunelveli, Madurai–Bengaluru Cantt, Deoghar–Varanasi, Howrah–Rourkela and Indore–Nagpur.
At present, these routes are served by four eight-coach and three 16-coach trains. After augmentation, the longer trains will be able to accommodate more passengers, easing the demand pressure on these busy sectors.
Services on the Mangaluru Central–Thiruvananthapuram Central, Secunderabad–Tirupati and Chennai Egmore–Tirunelveli routes will be expanded from 16 to 20 coaches, while those on the Madurai–Bengaluru Cantt, Deoghar–Varanasi, Howrah–Rourkela and Indore–Nagpur routes will be upgraded from eight to 16 coaches.
Indian Railways plans to redeploy the released trainsets from the upgraded routes to introduce services on new sectors.
The Railway Board has also directed that more 20-coach Vande Bharat trains be prepared for upcoming launches, while an additional 16-coach rake will remain available for further augmentation if required.
Currently, 144 Vande Bharat services are in operation across the country. The decision to expand capacity reflects both passenger demand trends and operational feasibility assessments carried out by the Railway Board.
Alongside this, 10 sleeper-class Vande Bharat trains are under production, aimed at providing greater flexibility for long-distance travel.
The expansion of coach capacity on these seven routes marks another step in strengthening India’s semi-high-speed rail network.
With steadily rising passenger demand, Indian Railways is positioning the Vande Bharat Express as a backbone of modern rail travel, offering faster connectivity and higher comfort while meeting the surge in ridership.
