Nearly 3.98 crore passengers travelled through Vande Bharat Express trains in the Financial Year 2025-26, marking a remarkable surge in passenger patronage on the network. This reflects year-on-year growth of nearly 34 per cent from 2.97 crore passengers in Financial Year 2024-25. The Ministry of Railways said that the rise highlights the growing preference for fast, comfortable, and modern rail travel among passengers across the country. It added that the Vande Bharat Express has served over 9.1 crore passengers through one lakh trips since its introduction.
Vande Bharat Express, India’s first indigenously designed and manufactured semi-high-speed train, was launched on the New Delhi-Varanasi route in February 2019. The New Delhi-Varanasi route remains the busiest, having recorded over 73 lakh passengers so far. Further strengthening long-distance connectivity, Indian Railways introduced the Vande Bharat Sleeper service in January 2026. It has carried over 1.21 lakh passengers across 119 trips, achieving an occupancy rate of over 100 per cent in just the first three months of operation.
