Ministry of Railways press release · 10 April 2026 · pibtracker filter

Thanks to Rising Popularity, Vande Bharat Trains Driving Demand for New Era of Fast, Comfortable & Modern Rail Travel Across the Country

PRID2250963 MinistryMinistry of Railways Released10 April 2026 Reading10 min

With About 34 Percent Growth, Nearly 4 Crore Passengers Travelled with Vande Bharat Express in FY 2025–26 Over 9.1 Crore Passengers Served by these High Speed Trains in About 1 Lakh Trips Since Inception More Travel in High-demand Routes like New Delhi–Varanasi, New Delhi–Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra, Secunderabad–Visakhapatnam and Chennai–Mysuru Boost Tourism and Regional Connectivity Vande Bharat Sleeper Service Achieves Over 100 Percent Occupancy with 1.21 Lakh Passengers in Initial Three Months With Enhanced Speed, Safety Features and Passenger Comfort, Indigenously Designed Vande Bharat Express Advancing Make in India Vision Posted On: 10 APR 2026 7:55PM by PIB Delhi Indian Railways has witnessed a remarkable surge in passenger patronage on the Vande Bharat Express network, with approximately 3.98 crore passengers travelling in FY 2025–26 alone, marking a robust year-on-year growth of nearly 34 percent from 2.97 crore passengers in FY 2024–25. This sharp rise highlights the growing preference for fast, comfortable, and modern rail travel among passengers across the country. Since its inception, the Vande Bharat Express has served over 9.1 crore passengers through 1 lakh trips, reflecting widespread public trust and sustained demand. Indian Railways continues to redefine passenger travel with the Vande Bharat Express, India’s first indigenously designed and manufactured semi-high-speed train. Launched on the New Delhi–Varanasi route in February 2019, the service has evolved into a nationwide network symbolising speed, comfort, and self-reliance under the Make in India initiative. The New Delhi–Varanasi route remains the busiest, having recorded over 73 lakh passengers so far. The New Delhi–Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra route has served approximately 56 lakh passengers, underlining its importance for pilgrimage travel. In southern India, the Secunderabad–Visakhapatnam route has served more than 48 lakh passengers, while the Puratchi Thalaivar Dr. MGR Central (Chennai)–Mysuru route has catered to over 36 lakh passengers, reflecting strong regional demand. These services have also emerged as vital enablers of tourism, improving access to key religious, cultural, and coastal destinations while boosting local economies and visitor footfall. Further strengthening long-distance connectivity, Indian Railways introduced the Vande Bharat Sleeper service in January 2026. In just the first three months of operation, the service carried 1.21 lakh passengers across 119 trips, achieving an occupancy rate of over 100 percent, indicating strong demand and increasing passenger confidence in premium overnight rail travel. The Vande Bharat Express stands as a testament to Indian Railways’ commitment to innovation, passenger-centric service, and indigenous manufacturing. With continued expansion connecting metros, pilgrimage destinations, heritage cities, and emerging economic hubs, along with the addition of the Sleeper variant, Indian Railways is steadily advancing towards providing faster, safer, and more comfortable journeys, with the Vande Bharat Express leading the transformation of modern rail travel in India. ***** Dharmendra Tewari/ Dr. Nayan Solanki/ Ritu Raj (Release ID: 2250963) Visitor Counter : 1587 Read this release in: Urdu , हिन्दी , Gujarati , Telugu , Kannada Ministry of Railways Thanks to Rising Popularity, Vande Bharat Trains Driving Demand for New Era of Fast, Comfortable & Modern Rail Travel Across the Country With About 34 Percent Growth, Nearly 4 Crore Passengers Travelled with Vande Bharat Express in FY 2025–26 Over 9.1 Crore Passengers Served by these High Speed Trains in About 1 Lakh Trips Since Inception More Travel in High-demand Routes like New Delhi–Varanasi, New Delhi–Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra, Secunderabad–Visakhapatnam and Chennai–Mysuru Boost Tourism and Regional Connectivity Vande Bharat Sleeper Service Achieves Over 100 Percent Occupancy with 1.21 Lakh Passengers in Initial Three Months With Enhanced Speed, Safety Features and Passenger Comfort, Indigenously Designed Vande Bharat Express Advancing Make in India Vision Posted On: 10 APR 2026 7:55PM by PIB Delhi Indian Railways has witnessed a remarkable surge in passenger patronage on the Vande Bharat Express network, with approximately 3.98 crore passengers travelling in FY 2025–26 alone, marking a robust year-on-year growth of nearly 34 percent from 2.97 crore passengers in FY 2024–25. This sharp rise highlights the growing preference for fast, comfortable, and modern rail travel among passengers across the country. Since its inception, the Vande Bharat Express has served over 9.1 crore passengers through 1 lakh trips, reflecting widespread public trust and sustained demand. Indian Railways continues to redefine passenger travel with the Vande Bharat Express, India’s first indigenously designed and manufactured semi-high-speed train. Launched on the New Delhi–Varanasi route in February 2019, the service has evolved into a nationwide network symbolising speed, comfort, and self-reliance under the Make in India initiative. The New Delhi–Varanasi route remains the busiest, having recorded over 73 lakh passengers so far. The New Delhi–Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra route has served approximately 56 lakh passengers, underlining its importance for pilgrimage travel. In southern India, the Secunderabad–Visakhapatnam route has served more than 48 lakh passengers, while the Puratchi Thalaivar Dr. MGR Central (Chennai)–Mysuru route has catered to over 36 lakh passengers, reflecting strong regional demand. These services have also emerged as vital enablers of tourism, improving access to key religious, cultural, and coastal destinations while boosting local economies and visitor footfall. Further strengthening long-distance connectivity, Indian Railways introduced the Vande Bharat Sleeper service in January 2026. In just the first three months of operation, the service carried 1.21 lakh passengers across 119 trips, achieving an occupancy rate of over 100 percent, indicating strong demand and increasing passenger confidence in premium overnight rail travel. The Vande Bharat Express stands as a testament to Indian Railways’ commitment to innovation, passenger-centric service, and indigenous manufacturing. With continued expansion connecting metros, pilgrimage destinations, heritage cities, and emerging economic hubs, along with the addition of the Sleeper variant, Indian Railways is steadily advancing towards providing faster, safer, and more comfortable journeys, with the Vande Bharat Express leading the transformation of modern rail travel in India. ***** Dharmendra Tewari/ Dr. Nayan Solanki/ Ritu Raj (Release ID: 2250963) With About 34 Percent Growth, Nearly 4 Crore Passengers Travelled with Vande Bharat Express in FY 2025–26 Over 9.1 Crore Passengers Served by these High Speed Trains in About 1 Lakh Trips Since Inception More Travel in High-demand Routes like New Delhi–Varanasi, New Delhi–Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra, Secunderabad–Visakhapatnam and Chennai–Mysuru Boost Tourism and Regional Connectivity Vande Bharat Sleeper Service Achieves Over 100 Percent Occupancy with 1.21 Lakh Passengers in Initial Three Months With Enhanced Speed, Safety Features and Passenger Comfort, Indigenously Designed Vande Bharat Express Advancing Make in India Vision" /> Indian Railways has witnessed a remarkable surge in passenger patronage on the Vande Bharat Express network, with approximately 3.98 crore passengers travelling in FY 2025–26 alone, marking a robust year-on-year growth of nearly 34 percent from 2.97 crore passengers in FY 2024–25. This sharp rise highlights the growing preference for fast, comfortable, and modern rail travel among passengers across the country. Since its inception, the Vande Bharat Express has served over 9.1 crore passengers through 1 lakh trips, reflecting widespread public trust and sustained demand. Indian Railways continues to redefine passenger travel with the Vande Bharat Express, India’s first indigenously designed and manufactured semi-high-speed train. Launched on the New Delhi–Varanasi route in February 2019, the service has evolved into a nationwide network symbolising speed, comfort, and self-reliance under the Make in India initiative. <img src="https://static.pib.gov.in/WriteReadData/userfiles/image/image001JWZP.jpg" style="height:471px; width:738px" /> The New Delhi–Varanasi route remains the busiest, having recorded over 73 lakh passengers so far. The New Delhi–Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra route has served approximately 56 lakh passengers, underlining its importance for pilgrimage travel. In southern India, the Secunderabad–Visakhapatnam route has served more than 48 lakh passengers, while the Puratchi Thalaivar Dr. MGR Central (Chennai)–Mysuru route has catered to over 36 lakh passengers, reflecting strong regional demand. These services have also emerged as vital enablers of tourism, improving access to key religious, cultural, and coastal destinations while boosting local economies and visitor footfall. Further strengthening long-distance connectivity, Indian Railways introduced the Vande Bharat Sleeper service in January 2026. In just the first three months of operation, the service carried 1.21 lakh passengers across 119 trips, achieving an occupancy rate of over 100 percent, indicating strong demand and increasing passenger confidence in premium overnight rail travel. The Vande Bharat Express stands as a testament to Indian Railways’ commitment to innovation, passenger-centric service, and indigenous manufacturing. With continued expansion connecting metros, pilgrimage destinations, heritage cities, and emerging economic hubs, along with the addition of the Sleeper variant, Indian Railways is steadily advancing towards providing faster, safer, and more comfortable journeys, with the Vande Bharat Express leading the transformation of modern rail travel in India.  ***** Dharmendra Tewari/ Dr. Nayan Solanki/ Ritu Raj " /> var mPlayer = document.getElementById("background_music"); var mPlayAction = document.getElementById("playbutton"); var isPlaying = false; function playAudio() { mPlayer.play(); isPlaying = true; document.getElementById('stopA').style.display = "block"; document.getElementById('playA').style.display = "none"; } function pauseAudio() { mPlayer.pause(); isPlaying = false; document.getElementById('playA').style.display = "block"; document.getElementById('stopA').style.display = "none"; } //function HandleAudio() { // if (isPlaying == true) { // //Playing already Pause it // pauseAudio(); // } else { // //Play the music // playAudio(); // } //} var synth = window.speechSynthesis; function CleanHtml(html) { html = html.replace(/ /gi, ''); return html; } function stripHtml(html) { let tmp = document.createElement("DIV"); tmp.innerHTML = CleanHtml(html); return tmp.textContent || tmp.innerText || ""; } $(document).ready(function () { //for responsive tables $("table").each(function () { if (!$(this).closest(".table-responsive").length) { $(this).wrap(" "); } }); var width = $(window).width(); if (width $(document).ready(function () { var width = $(window).width(); if (width @media print { .sticky-social, .sticky-social_mb, .pull-right, #printPDF { display: none !important; } } .f_vl { padding-right: 30px; font-size: 17px; cursor: pointer; } .log_oo { // width: 20%; display: flex; justify-content: space-between; } .log_oo img { width: 150px; /*width: 100%; height: auto;*/ } .sticky-social_mb { position: fixed; bottom: 0px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px; width: 100%; } .social_mb { list-style: none; 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height: auto !important; } p img { max-width: 90% !important; height: auto !important; } h2 { font-size: 20px !important; font-weight: 600 !important; } h3 { font-size: 18px !important; font-weight: 600 !important; } } /* === Film Roll Badge Styling(IFFI2025 countdown) === */ .film-roll-badge { position: absolute; top:82%; right: 20px; width: 230px; height: 70px; background: repeating-linear-gradient( to right, #9a2375 0px, #9a2375 18px, #6e2b8b 18px, #6e2b8b 36px ); border-top: 8px solid #9a2375; border-bottom: 8px solid #9a2375; border-radius: 8px; overflow: hidden; box-shadow: 0 4px 12px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.4); animation: moveFilm 8s linear infinite; z-index: 10; } /* film sprocket holes */ .film-roll-badge::before, .film-roll-badge::after { content: ""; position: absolute; width: 100%; height: 10px; background: repeating-linear-gradient( to right, #9a2375 0px, #9a2375 10px, #fff 10px, #fff 20px ); left: 0; z-index: 2; } .film-roll-badge::before { top: -4px; } .film-roll-badge::after { bottom: -4px; } .film-roll-inner { position: relative; height: 100%; display: flex; align-items: center; justify-content: center; animation: flicker 2s infinite ease-in-out; } .countdown-text { font-size: 1.3rem; font-weight: 700; color: #fff; text-shadow: 0 0 6px rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.4), 0 0 10px #000; white-space: nowrap; } /* === Animations === */ @keyframes moveFilm { 0% { background-position: 0 0; } 100% { background-position: 120px 0; } } @keyframes flicker { 0%, 100% { opacity: 1; } 50% { opacity: 0.9; } 25% { opacity: 0.95; } 75% { opacity: 0.85; } } /* === Responsive Adjustments === */ @media (max-width: 1500px) { .film-roll-badge { top: 68%; right: 18px; /* width: 220px; */ height: 65px; font-size: 0.85rem; } .press-section { margin-top: 35px; } } @media (max-width: 992px) { .film-roll-badge { top: 52%; right: 10px; width: 200px; height: 60px; } } @media (max-width: 768px) { .film-roll-badge { top: 56%; right: 10px; width: 124px; height: 55px; } .countdown-text { font-size: 0.9rem; } } @media (max-width: 576px) { .film-roll-badge { top: 59%; right: 5px; /* width: 160px; */ height: 50px; } .countdown-text { font-size: 0.85rem; } } const festivalStart = new Date("2025-11-20T00:00:00").getTime(); const festivalEnd = new Date("2025-11-28T23:59:59").getTime(); const countdownElement = document.getElementById("countdown"); const interval = setInterval(() => { const now = new Date().getTime(); // BEFORE FESTIVAL — show days + hours left if (now = festivalStart && now el.style.width = "350px"); clearInterval(interval); } }, 1000); //

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Thanks to Rising Popularity, Vande Bharat Trains Driving Demand for New Era of Fast, Comfortable & Modern Rail Travel Across the Country

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