Mumbai-Ahmedabad Vande Bharat to Permanently Run with 20 Coaches from April 28

Indian Railways has made the 20-coach formation of the Mumbai Central-Ahmedabad Vande Bharat Express permanent from journeys commencing April 28, 2026, in a major capacity boost for one of western India’s busiest inter-city railway corridors. The train, operating as Train No. 22961/22962, had earlier been augmented from 16 coaches to 20 coaches on a temporary basis to meet high passenger demand. That arrangement has now been formalised as a permanent operational upgrade.

The additional four coaches include three AC Chair Car coaches and one Executive Class coach, which will increase the availability of reserved seats for passengers travelling between Mumbai and Ahmedabad. The move is expected to benefit business travellers, students, daily commuters, tourists and other passengers who rely on the route for fast, comfortable and predictable inter-city movement.

The Mumbai Central-Ahmedabad Vande Bharat covers the 491-kilometre route in about 5 hours and 30 minutes, with stoppages at Borivali, Vapi, Surat and Vadodara. The corridor links two of India’s major economic centres and serves a dense passenger base across Maharashtra and Gujarat, making seat availability a key operational concern for Indian Railways.

According to the Ministry of Railways, the permanent augmentation reflects sustained demand for the train since its introduction. The upgrade also fits into the wider expansion pattern of Vande Bharat services across the country. So far, 162 Vande Bharat services have been operationalised, with Indian Railways stating that these trains have reduced journey times by up to 45 percent on several routes. Of these services, 90 are running with 8-coach formations, 38 with 20-coach formations and 34 with 16 coaches.

With the latest capacity expansion, around 23.45 percent of Vande Bharat services now operate with 20 coaches, while about 21 percent run with 16 coaches. The remaining services continue in the 8-coach configuration. This indicates a gradual scaling-up of train formations on routes where passenger demand has consistently outpaced available capacity.

The popularity of Vande Bharat trains has grown sharply in recent years. Nearly 4 crore passengers travelled on Vande Bharat services in FY 2025-26, marking year-on-year growth of about 34 percent. Since the first Vande Bharat Express service was introduced in 2019, the fleet has carried more than 9.1 crore passengers across over 1 lakh trips. Network-wide occupancy has consistently remained above 100 percent, underlining the high demand for the semi-high-speed train category.

Indian Railways has positioned Vande Bharat as a modern passenger service built around speed, safety, comfort and improved punctuality. The trains are equipped with safety systems such as KAVACH, faster acceleration, fully sealed gangways, automatic plug doors, ergonomic reclining seats and revolving seats in Executive Class. Passenger amenities include mobile charging sockets at every seat, onboard pantry equipment, CCTV surveillance and special lavatories for Divyangjan passengers in the Driving Trailer Car.

The Mumbai-Ahmedabad route also has another important Vande Bharat link through the 20901/20902 Gandhinagar Capital-Mumbai Central Vande Bharat Express, which connects Mumbai with the Ahmedabad-Gandhinagar region. Together, these services strengthen high-speed passenger connectivity between Gujarat and Maharashtra and support a travel corridor that is central to commerce, administration, tourism and daily mobility in western India.

The permanent conversion of the Mumbai Central-Ahmedabad Vande Bharat Express to a 20-coach train therefore marks more than a simple increase in capacity. It signals Indian Railways’ effort to respond to passenger demand on high-density routes while expanding the role of Vande Bharat trains as a premium, reliable and increasingly mainstream mode of inter-city travel.

Source: PIB