NEW DELHI (Metro Rail News): Piyush Goyal-led Indian Railways all-new engineless Vande Bharat Express train between Delhi and Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra has proven to be a big hit amongst passengers in the first month of its run. Train No 22439/22440 saw occupancy of over 95 percent- in both the directions between October 5 and November 4.
According to Indian Railways officials, the data indicates good patronage by passengers for the new Vande Bharat Express train. The new train was flagged off by Home Minister Amit Shah on October 3 this year, and it began commercial services from October 5.
According to official data, between October 5 to October 31, Train number 22439 NDLS-SVDK Vande Bharat Express did a total of 23 trips with 100% occupancy and net earnings of Rs 3.7 crore. On the other hand, Train number 22440 SVDK-NDLS Vande Bharat Express did a total of 23 trips with 96% occupancy and net earnings of Rs 3.5 crore in the same time period.
The Vande Bharat Express train to Katra also scored on another crucial parameter of Indian Railway’s punctuality. The semi-high speed train, which has a speed potential of 180 kmph, runs at a maximum speed of 130 kmph on this route. Out of the 27 trips from October 5 to November 4, the SVDK-NDLS Vande Bharat Express arrived in New Delhi 5 to 10 minutes ahead of its schedule on as many as 20 occasions.
In both directions, Train No 22439/22440 maintained its punctuality in 26 out of 27 trips, a remarkable achievement for the national transporter.
Train number 22439 NDLS-SVDK Vande Bharat Express leaves the New Delhi railway station every morning, except Tuesday, at 6:00 AM to reach Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra at 2:00 PM. En route, the train halts at Ambala Cantt, Ludhiana and Jammu Tawi for 2 minutes each in both the directions. In the return direction the same day, Train number 22440 SVDK-NDLS Vande Bharat Express leaves from Katra at 3:00 PM to arrive in New Delhi at 11:00 PM.
Indian Railways has kept IRCTC’s catering optional for passengers at the time of booking the tickets. The fare for the AC chair car seat between Delhi and Katra is Rs 1,630 (including meals) and Rs 3,015 (including meals) for the Executive chair car.
On the other hand, the fare for the AC chair car seat between Katra and Delhi is Rs 1,570 (including meals) and Rs 2,965 (including meals) for the Executive chair car. The semi-high speed self-propelled train set has reduced the travel time between Delhi and Katra to just 8 hours instead of 12 hours.
