15-minute current booking rule boosts Vande Bharat train ridership across Southern Railway

3 min readJun 27, 2026 04:46 PM IST

Train No.20666 Tirunelveli – Chennai Egmore Vande Bharat Express operates via the busy South trunk route (Image: Southern Railway)

Vande Bharat train ridership: Indian Railways’ 15-minute current booking facility before train departure has improved both ridership and revenue across the Southern Railway (SR) zone. The SR’s fleet of Vande Bharat Express trains connects major cities across Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh.

In FY26, Southern Railway’s 24 Vande Bharat train services carried 77.38 lakh passengers and generated revenue of Rs 803.86 crore, up from 54.12 lakh passengers and Rs 540.65 crore in FY25. In the first two months of FY27 (April-May 2026), these semi-high-speed trains carried 15.21 lakh passengers and earned Rs 162.96 crore.

According to SN Narain, Chief Public Relations Officer (CPRO) of SR, several Vande Bharat train services, including the Mangaluru-Thiruvananthapuram, Chennai Egmore-Nagercoil and Kasaragod-Thiruvananthapuram routes, have recorded occupancy levels of over 100 per cent.

Indian Railways’ 15-minute current booking rule

The Railway official added that despite consistently high occupancy, Southern Railway’s current booking initiative allows passengers to book vacant seats up to 15 minutes before a train’s departure from both the originating and en route stations, which makes it easier for last-minute travellers to secure reservations.

On July 17, 2025, Southern Railway introduced a current booking facility for eight Vande Bharat trains originating in the zone, allowing passengers to book vacant seats at en route stations up to 15 minutes before the train’s departure. These are:

Train number 20631 Mangaluru Central-Thiruvananthapuram Central Vande Bharat Express

Train number 20632 Thiruvananthapuram Central- Mangaluru Central Vande Bharat Express

Train number 20627 Chennai Egmore-Nagercoil Vande Bharat Express

Train number 20628 Nagercoil – Chennai Egmore Vande Bharat Express

Train number 20642 Coimbatore-Bengaluru Cantt. Vande Bharat Express

Train number 20646 Mangaluru Central-Madgaon Vande Bharat Express

Train number 20671 Madurai-Bengaluru Cantt. Vande Bharat Express

Train number 20677 Dr MGR Chennai Central-Vijayawada Vande Bharat Express

Indian Railways’ 15-minute booking rule pushes Vande Bharat train occupancy above 100%

In a statement, Southern Railway said a comparison of the three months after the scheme’s implementation (August–October 2025) for the eight pilot Vande Bharat trains showed a significant increase in both current-booking passengers and revenue across almost all routes.

🚆 Train-wise Data  8 Trains

Train No.

Route

Avg. Passengers/Month(Apr–Jun 2025)

Avg. Passengers/Month(Aug–Oct 2025)

Avg. Revenue/Month(Apr–Jun 2025)

Avg. Revenue/Month(Aug–Oct 2025)

20631MAQ–TVC3,3356,954₹22.24 Lakh₹45.01 Lakh

20632TVC–MAQ5,16411,896₹32.79 Lakh₹73.35 Lakh

20627MS–NCJ1,5012,832₹14.36 Lakh₹28.98 Lakh

20628NCJ–MS1,7883,846₹15.51 Lakh₹36.34 Lakh

20642CBE–BNC878835₹6.84 Lakh₹6.68 Lakh

20646MAQ–MAO690667₹6.21 Lakh₹6.25 Lakh

20671MDU–BNC544725₹4.94 Lakh₹6.69 Lakh

20677MAS–BZA2,8292,512₹21.91 Lakh₹18.87 Lakh

📊 Overall Growth Summary

ParameterApr–Jun 2025Aug–Oct 2025Growth

Avg. Passengers booked through Current Booking / Month

16,729

30,267

+80.93%

Avg. Revenue through Current Booking / Month

₹124.80 Lakh

₹222.17 Lakh

+78.02%

Source: Southern Railway

“Encouraged by these results, Southern Railway has since extended the reform across the board. The concept of current-booking facility, enabling vacant-seat booking at source and at all enroute stations up to 15 minutes before departure, has now been implemented in all 17 Vande Bharat trains originating over Southern Railway,” the CPRO said.

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Vande Bharat train performance over Southern Railway

Narain said the combined impact of strong passenger demand and the current booking facility has been reflected in the overall performance of Southern Railway’s Vande Bharat train services, with both ridership and revenue registering steady growth.

📊 Earnings, Passengers & Current Booking Data  4 Parameters

Parameter

FY 2024-25

FY 2025-26

Apr–May 2025

Apr–May 2026

Total Earnings (₹ Crore)540.65803.86119.52162.96

Total Passengers Carried (Lakh)54.1277.3811.4115.21

Passengers via Current Booking2,98,9897,42,42861,9901,39,817

Current Booking Revenue (₹ Lakh)2,181.535,706.75444.281,013.50

Total earnings grew ~49% year-on-year (FY24-25 → FY25-26), while Current Booking revenue more than doubled — rising from ₹444.28 Lakh to ₹1,013.50 Lakh between Apr–May 2025 and Apr–May 2026.

Source: Southern Railway

Anish Mondal is a journalist with over nine years of experience covering the railways and roadways. Currently a member of the Indianexpress.com editorial team, Anish specializes in high-impact sectors.

Professional Journey

Anish began his career at the public broadcaster Rajya Sabha Television (now Sansad TV), where he developed a foundational understanding of legislative processes and national governance. In 2018, he transitioned to digital financial journalism at FinancialExpress.com, spending nearly six years refining his expertise in market trends and corporate reporting. Before joining The Indian Express in 2025, he served as a key contributor at ETNowNews.com.

Education & Expertise

Anish’s reporting is backed by a rigorous academic background in communication and the humanities:

Master of Journalism and Mass Communication (MJMC) – Apeejay Stya University

Post Graduate Diploma in Journalism and Production (PGTVRJP) – Apeejay Institute of Mass Communication

Bachelor of Arts (English Honours) – University of Calcutta

Areas of Coverage

Connectivity: Detailed reporting on the expansion of Indian Railways and National Highway networks. ... Read More

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Vande Bharat

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