Pune Vande Bharat Routes: The Vande Bharat Express trains running between cities like Pune-Belagavi, Pune-Mumbai, and Pune-Kolhapur are helping people reach faster, but they also cost a lot more than regular express trains. These new trains save between 1.5 to 2 hours of travel time on average, but in return, passengers have to pay almost 60% more than what they pay for other superfast trains, reported Punekar News. In some cases, the ticket price can go up by more than 200%.
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Pune Vande Bharat Routes
Pune-Belagavi route: On Pune to Belagavi route, the Vande Bharat train (20670) takes just 6 hours. But the fare is ₹1,250. On the same route, Goa Express (12780) and NZM Mys SF Express (12782) take around 7 hours 40 minutes to 7 hours 50 minutes, which is about 2 hours more, but the ticket prices are much lower. Sleeper class in those trains costs only ₹290, and 3AC tickets are ₹750. That means the price difference is between 66% and 300%, depending on the class you choose.
Pune-Mumbai route: On the busy Pune to Mumbai route, Vande Bharat (22226) finishes the trip in 3 hours 15 minutes. The ticket costs ₹720. But the well-known Deccan Queen (12124), which is loved by many, takes only 5 minutes less just 3 hours 10 minutes and the Chair Car ticket costs only ₹390. General tickets are as low as ₹110.
The Mumbai SF Express (22731), takes 4 hours 5 minutes, which is 50 minutes longer, but its Sleeper class is ₹180 and 3AC is ₹560.
Pune-Kolhapur route: On the Pune to Kolhapur line, Vande Bharat takes 5 hours 25 minutes and charges ₹890. But Koyana Express (11029) takes 7 hours 45 minutes. In this train, a 2S ticket costs only ₹135, Sleeper is ₹220, and 3AC is ₹595.
Mahalaxmi Express (17411) also has a similar travel time of around 7 hours 5 minutes. It offers Sleeper class for ₹220 and 3E for ₹545. So again, even though Vande Bharat is saving people 1.5 to 2 hours, passengers are paying up to 50% more or even higher.
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Passenger Numbers
Even with these high prices, people are still using Vande Bharat trains, but not all seats are getting filled. Official numbers say that the average occupancy on the Pune routes has been between 60% to 65% in the last 6months. This means many seats are going empty, maybe because of the higher ticket prices.
Comfort Features
Vande Bharat trains offer many modern features that older trains don’t have. These trains speed up fast, have Wi-Fi on board, comfortable seats with mobile charging points, and clean bio-vacuum toilets. The ride feels smoother too because the suspension is better. Safety is also improved as the trains come with CCTV cameras, fire detection systems, and automatic doors.
