NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated four new Vande Bharat Express trains from Varanasi on Saturday, elevating India’s semi-high-speed rail network to over 160 services.
Among them, the Firozpur-Delhi route stands out, offering Punjab’s border district a direct, rapid connection to New Delhi in just 6 hours 40 minutes, the quickest on this 486-km corridor.
The Firozpur Cantt-Delhi Vande Bharat departs Firozpur Cantt at 7:55 am six days a week (except Wednesdays), halting at Bathinda, Dhuri, Patiala, Ambala Cantt, Kurukshetra, and Panipat before arriving in New Delhi by 2:35 pm.
The return leg leaves New Delhi at 4:00 PM, reaching Firozpur Cantt at 10:35 pm. Built at Chennai’s Integral Coach Factory, the eight-coach train includes seven AC chair cars and one executive class, with features like automatic doors, Wi-Fi and bio-toilets.
It supports speeds up to 160 kmph, aiding trade from Punjab’s agricultural heartland and boosting border security logistics near Pakistan.
This service addresses long-standing demands from Punjab’s farming and industrial communities, cutting previous travel times by over two hours and easing congestion on routes like the Shatabdi Express.
The train is expected to spur economic ties, with Patiala and Bathinda gaining better access to Delhi’s markets for textiles and dairy exports. The other launches complement this northern push. The Banaras-Khajuraho Vande Bharat links Varanasi’s spiritual hubs with Madhya Pradesh’s temple heritage site, covering 443 km in 7 hours 40 minutes.
It departs Banaras at 5:25 am (six days, except Thursdays), stopping at Vindhyachal, Prayagraj Chheoki, Chitrakoot Dham, Banda, and Mahoba, arriving in Khajuraho by 1:10 pm. The return starts at 3:20 pm, reaching Banaras at 11:00 PM.
This route saves 2 hours 40 minutes versus existing specials, enhancing pilgrimage traffic to the UNESCO-listed Khajuraho temples and supporting Bundelkhand’s tourism economy. Uttar Pradesh’s Lucknow-Saharanpur Vande Bharat spans 518 km in 7 hours 45 minutes, departing Lucknow Junction at 5:00 am (six days, except Sundays) with stops at Sitapur, Shahjahanpur, Bareilly, Moradabad, Najibabad and Roorkee, arriving in Saharanpur by 12:45 pm.
The return from Saharanpur at 3:00 pm reaches Lucknow at 11:00 pm. It shaves an hour off current options, benefiting students commuting to Roorkee’s engineering institutes and traders in Bareilly’s leather sector, while improving Haridwar access.
In the south, the Ernakulam-Bengaluru Vande Bharat connects Kerala’s port city with Karnataka’s IT capital over 608 km in 8 hours 40 minutes, departing from KSR Bengaluru at 5:10 am (six days, except Wednesdays), halting at Krishnarajapuram, Jolarpettai, Salem, Erode, Tiruppur, Coimbatore, Palakkad and Thrissur, arriving in Ernakulam by 1:50 pm.
The return leaves Ernakulam at 2:20 pm, reaching Bengaluru at 11:00 pm. This cuts over two hours from prior journeys, serving tech professionals and advancing interstate commerce in spices and software.