Indian Railways will add hundreds of seats on the Secunderabad-Tirupati Vande Bharat route from Wednesday amid increasing demand. The announcement was made late on Monday — confirming that both up and down trains will be “permanently augmented” with four additional coaches. There will be no change in executive class coaches while the overall number rises from 16 to 20.
Train number 20701 from Secunderabad to Tirupati and train number 20702 from Tirupati to Secunderabad will gain four additional air-conditioned chair car coaches from November 26. The trains will now have two executive class coaches and 18 chair car bogeys — raising the number of seats by more than 300.
“The Secunderabad-Tirupati-Secunderabad Vande Bharat Express has been permanently augmented with additional coaches,” said an official release from the Vijayawada Division of the South Central Railway Zone.
The train currently runs six days a week with a weekly break on Tuesday. The journey from Secunderabad to Tirupati takes a little more than eight hours — taking off around 6:00 am and reaching in the late afternoon. The return train leaves from Tirupati at 15:15 and reaches Secunderabad at 23:40 on the same day.
Vande Bharat sleeper trains from next month?
The update came even as Indian Railways geared up for the launch of its first Vande Bharat sleeper train. Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw revealed recently that minor retrofitting was currently underway to improve passenger comfort. It is expected to launch next month — one of 10 Vande Bharat sleeper trains that are currently in the works.
“Whatever issues that appeared during the testing of the first rake, we are addressing them in the first as well as in the second train. Changes are minor in nature, but we are treating them as major because we want to match the high standards of passenger comfort. We don’t believe in shortcuts because we have to make a good product for the next generation. We will launch the train in December,” Vaishnaw said during an interaction with reporters last week.
Two MEMU trains between Delhi, Shamli
An unrelated development from Uttar Pradesh also saw Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw flagging off two new MEMU train services n Monday. The trains will run between Delhi and Shamli and ‘benefit daily commuters, students, farmers and professionals in the region through improved mobility’. Vaishnaw also noted that Shamli station was being upgraded to a modern and world-class level at a cost of Rs 25 crore under the ‘Amrit Bharat Station Yojana’.
“A long-pending demand of the Shamli-Baghpat region is being fulfilled today with the inauguration of two new MEMU trains. These trains will make travel easier for the people of this region,” the minister said.