Vande Bharat changed fate of railways; Kerala too can be proud of achievement, figures say

CHENNAI: The Vande Bharat Express started service in the country on February 15, 2019, changing the fate of the Indian Railways. Reports said four years after the first service, Vande Bharat Express has achieved a huge success. Vande Bharat Express managed to achieve an occupancy rate of 105.7 % across all trips made during the financial year from April 2023 to March 2024.

As per the figures released by the Indian Railways, Vande Bharat Express completed 18,423 trips during this period. 102 Vande Bharat trains operate in the country apart from some services that run on demand basis. These trains have covered a distance of 1.24 crore kilometers from the date of beginning till March 31 March, 2024. Kerala is the state with the highest number of passengers traveling on Vande Bharat Express. The occupancy rate in Kerala is 175.3 %.

Kerala also recorded the highest number of senior citizens travelling in Vande Bharat Express which is 15.7 %. According to the report released by the Indian Railways, 45.9 % of the passengers in the age group of 26 to 45 traveled during this period. The report said the total percentage of male passengers traveling on Vande Bharat trains from April 2023 to March 2024 was 61.7%.

Jharkhand has the highest number of male passengers. 67 % male passengers traveled on Vande Bharat in Jharkhand. A total of 38.3 % of passengers are women. Goa records the highest number of female passengers of 42 %.

Vande Bharat is the services that brought revolution in the railway sector in the country. Along with speed, Vande Bharat also offers luxury amenities to its passengers. The 16-coach Vande Bharat Express has been fitted with Kavach. The express operates at a speed of 160 kmph. Vande Bharat has huge facilities like fully sealed gangway for free passenger movement, automatic plug doors, reclining ergonomic seats, comfortable seats with revolving seats in executive class, better travel comfort, mobile charging sockets for every seat, hot case, bottle cooler and deep freezer etc.