Last-Minute Tickets and a Record-Breaking Route: Vande Bharat Gets a Big Upgrade
If you’ve ever cut it fine before catching a train, you know the panic. Until now, booking a seat minutes before departure wasn’t even an option. That’s changing.
Indian Railways will now allow passengers on select Vande Bharat trains to book tickets online right up to 15 minutes before the train leaves. Just open the IRCTC app, pay, and you’re in. No need to hover over counters or call a dozen agents. If it’s a work trip that pops up out of nowhere or an unplanned dash to see family, those 15 minutes could be the gap between getting on board today or waiting until the next train.
And it’s not the only update making noise this week.
From August 11, a new Vande Bharat will run between Ajni (Nagpur) and Pune — the longest Vande Bharat route in the country so far. About 880 kilometres in roughly 12 hours, with stops that range from Wardha and Akola to Jalgaon and Ahmednagar. The Prime Minister will give the virtual flag-off on August 10, with full services starting the next morning.
The train carries 590 passengers, all in chair cars — some standard, some executive class. No sleepers, because it’s built for daytime travel. Six days a week, except Mondays from Ajni and Tuesdays from Pune. Fares sit at around ₹1,500 for a regular seat and double for executive.
Put side by side — the late booking rule and this long daytime run — they make Vande Bharat a bit more practical. Festival travellers, and the ones who decide plans only at the last minute, might actually find this is one of those rare times Indian Railways has made life simpler.
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