Nearly 4 crore passengers travelled on Vande Bharat Express services in FY 2025-26, according to the Ministry of Railways.
“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,” the Ministry of Railways said in a statement on Friday, 10 April).
Since its launch, the Vande Bharat Express network has carried over 9.1 crore passengers through around 1 lakh trips, according to the ministry.
Launched on the New Delhi-Varanasi route in February 2019, Vande Bharat is India’s first indigenously designed and manufactured semi-high-speed train.
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The network has since expanded across multiple corridors linking metros, pilgrimage centres and regional destinations.
The New Delhi-Varanasi Vande Bharat service remains the busiest, having recorded over 73 lakh passengers so far, the ministry said.
The New Delhi-Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra route has served around 56 lakh passengers, while the Secunderabad-Visakhapatnam route has carried more than 48 lakh passengers.
The Chennai-Mysuru route has recorded over 36 lakh passengers.
Further, the Vande Bharat Sleeper service, launched in January 2026 to strengthen long-distance connectivity, has carried 1.21 lakh passengers across 119 trips in its first three months, with occupancy rate of over 100 per cent.
The ministry said 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,” the ministry added.
