With the Vande Bharat Chair Car trains recording exceptionally high occupancy and widespread popularity, the Centre has urged state governments to extend full support for faster expansion of these premium services across the country.
In a written reply in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday, Union Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw highlighted that as on March 12, 2026, the Indian Railways is operating 162 Vande Bharat Chair Car services on its network. Only two Vande Bharat Sleeper services are currently running.
The indigenously designed and manufactured Vande Bharat trains feature modern amenities and advanced safety systems, including KAVACH anti-collision technology, jerk-free semi-permanent couplers, centrally controlled automatic plug doors, emergency alarm push buttons, improved fire safety with aerosol-based suppression systems, UV-C lamp-based air disinfection, coach condition monitoring, and CCTV surveillance in all coaches.
`Indian Railways focused on providing affordable, good quality services to all sections of society`
The trains are designed for a maximum operating speed of 160 kmph (with a design speed of 180 kmph) and offer significantly better ride comfort and hygiene standards.
“Indian Railways is focused on providing affordable, good quality services to all sections of society,” the minister stated, adding that the high demand for Chair Car services has prompted the government to seek active cooperation from states for land acquisition, station upgrades, and other infrastructure support required for new routes.
The minister also listed several key Vande Bharat routes currently operational, including New Delhi–Varanasi, Gandhinagar–Mumbai Central, Mysuru–Chennai, Secunderabad–Visakhapatnam, Sainagar Shirdi–Mumbai, and many inter-state connections covering major cities across the country.