Indore–Nagpur Vande Bharat Upgrade: Indian Railways is planning a major change to the Indore–Nagpur Vande Bharat Express, doubling its coach count. The train is set to operate with 16 coaches, starting from November 24, 2025, instead of 8.
Passenger demand has doubled with the surge of route popularity that is connecting the industrial and business hubs and the education centres of the central Indian region.
The short answer to that question is that the Vande Bharat train on its current route is almost always full. The Railway Department staff have said that the bookings are usually full and the waiting lists have become a regular occurrence, especially on holiday travel days.
The Railway Board, after looking at the passenger data, decided that increasing the number of coaches will not only create more spaces but also enable passengers to travel in a relaxed environment.
Actually, this case alone is not the reason: The Board has taken the same decision for seven other routes where Vande Bharat trains are operational and turning 8-coach into 16-coach ones.
By increasing the number of coaches, the seating capacity of the train will be doubled from about 600 to nearly 1,200. Some sources claim that the post-upgrade seating will be 1,150+ depending on the coach composition.
The change of the train will see the inclusion of the combination of driving trailer coaches, motor coaches, trailer coaches, and non-driving trailer coaches mimicking the pattern found in other extended Vande Bharat rakes, according to railway sources.
Moreover, with the addition of more coaches, the on-board crew strength will be enhanced to efficiently handle the bigger train.
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Divisional Commercial Manager, Saurabh Kataria, among other railway officials, has indicated that the move reflects a trend of increasing demand and that the augmentation will not be “a temporary step” but “a permanent one”.
At the same time, Zonal Railway Users’ Consultative Committee (ZRUCC) member Brijbhushan Shukla remarked that the continuous full occupancy had led to a representation being made to the Railway Board and higher railway officials by them.
The upgrade of the Indore-Nagpur line is one of the projects in the Railway Board’s long-term plan to increase the capacity of Vande Bharat trains where it is absolutely necessary.
In its recent review, the Board has planned the addition of 20 more coaches on seven Vande Bharat routes, thereby creating several 16-coach services from 8-coach ones, and even some 20 coaches from 16 ones.
The very idea of this move beyond the immediate solution of capacity is the message of a long-term commitment to the continuation of Vande Bharat trains on routes with a lot of traffic.
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