Vande Bharat Express: Full Route List and Timings 2026

Vande Bharat has grown from a single Delhi-Varanasi service in 2019 into the backbone of India's fastest daytime rail network, over 80 routes and 164 services as of August 2026, according to PIB. Rather than one long unreadable list, here's the network broken down by region with links to each train's live status page, so you can jump straight to the one that matters to you.

How many routes are running now

The network has expanded region by region since launch, and new routes continue to be added, so any fixed number goes stale quickly. What's stable is the pattern: almost every major India city pair within a day's travel now has, or is getting, a Vande Bharat connecting it to a nearby metro or state capital. Check a specific train's own page for its current, live schedule rather than relying on a route count.

North and central India

South India

East India

West India

What's new in 2026

The Katra-Srinagar service crossing the Chenab Bridge, launched in June 2025 and now running from Jammu Tawi, is one of the most striking routes on the network for its engineering rather than just its speed. In January 2026 the first Vande Bharat Sleeper, Howrah to Kamakhya (Guwahati), began overnight service with AC 3-tier, AC 2-tier and AC First coaches. New routes and frequency increases on existing ones continue to roll out, so treat any list, including this one, as a snapshot rather than a permanently fixed set.

Which is the fastest Vande Bharat route

Speed here means average speed over the route, not headline top speed, since track conditions and the number of stops both matter more day to day than the train's maximum capability. Shorter, less-stop-heavy routes tend to post the best average speeds; a long route with more intermediate stops, even a fast one, will have a lower average even if the train hits its top speed on open stretches. Check the scheduled travel time against the distance on the specific train's page for an honest comparison rather than relying on marketing claims.

Is there a Vande Bharat from your city

Given the pace of expansion, the fastest way to check is to search your city on the trip planner, which shows every train on your route including any Vande Bharat service, rather than relying on a list that may be a route or two behind the latest launch.

How to check today's live status for a specific train

Every Vande Bharat train on this list links to its own live status page, showing where it is right now, how late it's running if at all, and its recent delay history. That's more useful on travel day than a fixed schedule, since even a generally punctual service can run late occasionally due to weather, track work or a knock-on delay from elsewhere on the network.

How the numbering helps you spot one

Vande Bharat trains generally carry five-digit numbers in specific series depending on the zone that operates them, rather than one single block of numbers, which is why the route tables above span everything from the 12000s to the 22000s. If you are trying to identify whether an unfamiliar train is a Vande Bharat from its number alone, the safest approach is still to search it directly rather than guess from the digits, since numbering conventions vary by zone and have shifted as the network expanded.

Booking and fares

The day-time Vande Bharat runs chair car and executive chair car only, which makes it a same-day travel option; the overnight version is the separate Vande Bharat Sleeper. Chair car fares sit above Sleeper and 3A and are generally a little higher than Shatabdi on comparable distances. Meals are optional: you choose at booking whether to add catering, and the charge is added to the fare. Book through IRCTC as you would any other reserved train, and expect tighter availability on popular routes during weekends and festival periods.

A note on delays

Vande Bharat trains generally run punctually on well-maintained corridors, but no train on shared track is immune to delay, a late-running freight ahead, fog in winter on north Indian routes, or monsoon-timetable slowdowns on routes like the Konkan line to Goa. Checking live status before you leave for the station takes a minute and saves a wasted wait on the platform if something has changed since the printed timetable.