Due to low occupancy rates of 31-33%, the Railway Board has decided to replace the 20-coach Nagpur-Secunderabad Vande Bharat rake with an eight-coach Secunderabad-Visakhapatnam Express. Similarly, the 16-coach Durg-Vishakapatnam Vande Bharat will be replaced with eight coaches. This change is part of a larger strategy to address underutilized Vande Bharat trains across various railway zones, including Northern Railway, Eastern Coast Railway (ECR), Eastern Railway, and South East Central Railway (SECR).
Although the Nagpur Divisions of Central Railway and SECR have not issued an official announcement, a Railway Board circular dated December 30, 2024, instructed the zones to implement the decision at the earliest. However, Aman Mittal, Senior Divisional Commercial Manager (SrDCM) of Central Railway, stated that no notification had been received yet. “We have not received any notification as of now. Please wait for a few days,” he said.
Since its commercial launch on September 19, 2024, the Nagpur-Secunderabad Vande Bharat Express has never been fully occupied, except during the Diwali vacation period, when occupancy peaked at 110%. According to the latest information obtained through the RTI Act by social activist Ajay Bose, the occupancy of the 20101 Nagpur-Secunderabad train stands at 31.80%, while the 20102 Secunderabad-Nagpur train has a 33.55% occupancy rate. Sources suggest that due to the non-detachable nature of the current Vande Bharat coaches, the train will be replaced with one featuring eight coaches.
The Nagpur-Secunderabad Vande Bharat operates six days a week, with the exception of Tuesdays. It departs from Nagpur at 5:00 AM and reaches Secunderabad at 12:15 PM, covering the distance in 7 hours and 15 minutes. The return journey departs from Secunderabad at 1:00 PM and arrives in Nagpur at 8:20 PM.
Satish Yadav, a member of the ZRUCC, pointed out that the 5 AM departure of the Nagpur-Secunderabad Vande Bharat train may not be appealing, as several other trains run throughout the day between Nagpur, Hyderabad, and Secunderabad. He suggested that the departure time should be advanced by at least two hours to attract more passengers. Yadav also noted that while the Vande Bharat takes 7 hours and 15 minutes to reach Secunderabad, other trains like the Rajdhani take only 8.5 to 9 hours, making the minimal time difference not significant enough to persuade passengers to opt for the Vande Bharat.