Indian Railways has permanently upgraded the Mumbai Central-Ahmedabad Vande Bharat Express to a 20-coach train, effective from April 28, in a move aimed at accommodating rising passenger demand on one of the country’s busiest inter-city routes.
The expansion, which adds three AC Chair Car coaches and one Executive Class coach, is expected to significantly improve seat availability for passengers travelling along the high-demand corridor connecting two major economic hubs of western India. The decision follows a period of temporary augmentation introduced earlier to manage peak travel demand, which has now been formalised due to consistently high occupancy.
The 491-kilometre route, covered in approximately 5 hours and 30 minutes with stops at Borivali, Vapi, Surat and Vadodara, caters to a wide range of travellers including business professionals, students, tourists and daily commuters. Railway officials noted that demand for the service has remained strong since its launch, prompting the need for a permanent capacity increase.
Across the network, Indian Railways has operationalised 162 Vande Bharat services, with a growing share now running with higher coach capacities. Of these, 38 services operate with 20 coaches, 34 with 16 coaches, and the remaining 90 with 8-coach formations. With the latest upgrade, about 23.45 per cent of Vande Bharat trains now feature 20 coaches.
The surge in demand is reflected in passenger data as well. Nearly 4 crore passengers travelled on Vande Bharat trains during the financial year 2025-26, marking a year-on-year increase of around 34 per cent. Since their introduction in 2019, these semi-high-speed trains have carried over 9.1 crore passengers across more than one lakh trips, with occupancy levels frequently exceeding 100 per cent.
The Ministry of Railways attribute the popularity of Vande Bharat services to faster travel times, improved onboard comfort, enhanced cleanliness and better punctuality compared to conventional trains. Features such as automatic doors, ergonomic seating, onboard catering facilities, mobile charging points and advanced safety systems including KAVACH have further strengthened their appeal.
The Mumbai Central-Ahmedabad route is among the most prominent in the Vande Bharat network, alongside other key services such as the Gandhinagar Capital-Mumbai Central corridor, which also enhances connectivity between Gujarat and Maharashtra.
