1,200 of 1,440 seats vacant: Vande Bharat on Secunderabad-Nagpur route operating at 20% occupancy

HYDERABAD: The recently-launched Vande Bharat Express on the Secunderabad-Nagpur route has been operating with nearly empty coaches, with over 80% of seats remaining vacant, leaving railway authorities shocked. It is fifth Vande Bharat in Telangana.
Anticipating a positive response from passengers and to bolster economic connections between the two areas, the Vande Bharat was introduced on Sept 16 to link the Vidarbha region of Maharashtra with industrial centres of Ramagundam, Kazipet, and Secunderabad.

The train was intended to facilitate business ties between the regions. However, the railway authorities have been taken aback by the low occupancy rate of the train, which has been operating with a daily vacancy of 80% in both directions.
Train number 20102, the Secunderabad-Nagpur Vande Bharat Express, set to leave in just a few hours, over 1,200 seats remained vacant on Sunday, despite the train's total capacity of 1,440. Also, the two executive class coaches, which together offer 88 seats, less than 10 passengers had made reservations.
On the other hand, Vande Bharat trains from the twin cities to Bengaluru, Chennai, and Visakhapatnam have been registering high demand, with occupancy rates ranging between 90% and 100%.
Moreover, the tickets for the Visakhapatnam Vande Bharat Express on Monday were on the waiting list, further highlighting the strong demand for these trains.
The Secunderabad-Nagpur Vande Bharat Express covers the distance in 7.15 hours. The train consists of two executive class coaches and 18 chair car coaches, fully air-conditioned, with a combined seating capacity of 1,440 seats. It has stoppages at Kazipet, Ramagundam, Balharshah, Chandrapur and Sevagram in both directions.
According to railway officials, if the poor demand for the Vande Bharat train service between Nagpur and Secunderabad continues, the railways would reduce the number of coaches from the current 20 to eight, offering over 500 seats.