New Delhi: Under the Modi government, Indian Railways has undergone a remarkable transformation. Regions like Manipur, Jammu and Kashmir, and Arunachal Pradesh are now integrated into the railway network, marking a significant expansion. In addition, the Vande Bharat Express train has played a pivotal role in revolutionizing rail travel in the country.
Vande Bharat, the country’s first indigenously developed semi-high-speed train, has significantly reduced travel time between the two cities and earned widespread praise from passengers.
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New Delhi-Varanasi Vande Bharat Express
Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagged the New Delhi-Varanasi Vande Bharat Express on February 15, 2019. Currently, the Indian Railways is running a total of 2 Vande Bharat Express trains on New Delhi-Varanasi route. The train number 22436/22435 New Delhi-Varanasi-New Delhi Vande Bharat Express is the country’s first Vande Bharat Express train.
The national transporter on December 18, 2023 launched the second Vande Bharat Express on the New Delhi-Varanasi route. It is important to note that these trains offer residents – a world-class travel experience, combining speed with comfort.
New Delhi-Varanasi Vande Bharat Express: Here are some of the key details
- Train number 22436/22435 New Delhi-Varanasi-New Delhi Vande Bharat Express, was initially launched with 16 coaches
- Train number 22415/22416 Varanasi-New Delhi Express train was introduced with 8 coaches.
- In September 2024, the national transporter raised the coach compartments to 20.
- Both these trains run six days a week.
- Both the train trains New Delhi-Varanasi-New Delhi Vande Bharat Express train covers a distance of 760 km at around 08:00 hrs.
- These are the fastest trains on the route.
- For travel between New Delhi and Varanasi Junction, the fare for AC Chair Car and Executive Chair Car are Rs 1740 and Rs 3270.
- For the journey between Varanasi Junction and New Delhi railway station, the ticket price for AC Chair Car and Executive Chair Car is Rs 1795 and Rs 3320.
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Is the New Delhi-Varanasi Vande Bharat Express operating at a loss?
Lok Sabha MP Rajeev Rai, in the ongoing Winter Session of Parliament, asked Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw about the New Delhi-Varanasi Vande Bharat Express train causing loss to the government.
He also enquired about whether the government is considering extending the route of this train beyond Varanasi.
Responding to this, Vaishnaw said that the New Delhi-Varanasi sector is being served by 27 pairs of train services, including two pairs of Vande Bharat services. He added that the extension of train services is an ongoing process on Indian Railways subject to traffic justification, operational feasibility, resource availability, etc.
