Indian Railways is gearing up to introduce nine brand-new Vande Bharat Express trains along various routes, as reported by Zee News. Among these, five high-speed routes have been confirmed: Indore to Jaipur, Jaipur to Udaipur, Jaipur to Chandigarh, Puri to Rourkela, and Patna to Howrah. Regarding the remaining four routes, the report mentions that three of them are under consideration by Southern Railways, while the fourth route remains undisclosed. Integral Coach Factory (ICF) in Chennai has been tasked with crafting the coaches for these nine Vande Bharat trains.

Notably, Odisha is set to welcome its second Vande Bharat Express running between Puri and Rourkela, with expectations of it being operational by the end of September, according to the New Indian Express. The trial run for this train commenced today, officials said. This train will ply the Puri-Bhubaneswar-Cuttack-Dhenkanal-Angul-Rourkela route, bridging the gap between the coastal and western regions of Odisha. Speculation also suggests that Prime Minister Modi might flag off this semi-high-speed service on September 30th. Sources reveal that the train will cover the 505 km journey from Puri to Rourkela in 7 hours and 30 minutes, and the return trip in 7 hours and 45 minutes.

Furthermore, Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw announced on September 5th that Madhya Pradesh's Neemuch would soon have its Vande Bharat Express. Addressing the public in Neemuch on September 4th, the Railway Minister stated, "It is time for Vande Bharat to run on this route. Your Member of Parliament (MP) Sudhir Gupta has already requested for the same. Vande Bharat Express will run on your route soon." 

Meanwhile, Central Railway issued a press release revealing that between August 15th and September 8th, a total of 1.22 lakh passengers traveled on Vande Bharat trains within the Central Railway region, generating a revenue of 10.72 crores for the Railways. Among these trains, Bilaspur-Nagpur Express boasted the highest occupancy rate at 122.56 percent, while GOA Madgaon-CSMT Express recorded the lowest occupancy rate at 75.50 percent.

Other trains under Central Railway included Nagpur-Bilaspur Express (106.40 percent occupancy), CSMT Shirdi Express (81.33 percent occupancy), Shirdi-CSMT Express (81.88 percent occupancy), CSMT Solapur Express (93.71 percent occupancy), Solapur-CSMT Express (105.09 percent occupancy), and Madgaon Express (92.05 percent occupancy).

Vande Bharat Express stands as an indigenous marvel--a semi-high-speed, self-propelled train set. It offers passengers cutting-edge amenities, ensuring a swifter, more comfortable, and more convenient travel experience.

Vande Bharat Express: Puri-Rourkela Semi-High Speed Train Expected to Commence Operations

Central Railway to Boost Speed of CSMT-Shirdi Vande Bharat Train to 130 kmph