Amit Shah flags off Delhi-Katra Vande Bharat Express today: Know timings, fare and other details

New Delhi, Oct 03: Home Minister Amit Shah flagged off Vande Bharat Express, which will prove a boon for pilgrims visiting the shrine of Vaishno Devi.

The high-speed train will bring down the travel time between Delhi and Katra to eight hours from the current 12 hours.

Vande Bharat Express Timings

Train number 22439 New Delhi-Katra Vande Bharat will depart from the New Delhi Railway Station at 6 am and will reach Katra at 2 pm. On the same day, it will commence its return journey from Katra at 3 pm and reach the national capital at 11 pm.

Vande Bharat Express fare

Bookings opened on the IRCTC website for the Vande Bharat Express on Sunday, where minimum fare for travelling between New Delhi to Katra in the chair car has been pegged Rs 1,630 while the fare for the executive chair car is Rs 2,965.

For people travelling from Katra to Delhi, the minimum fare for chair car has been set at Rs 1,570, while for executive chair car, it has been pegged at Rs 2,965 also.

Vande Bharat Express special features

Vande Bharat Express is a luxurious all air-conditioned train having chair car service with 16 coaches. It is an engine-less self-propelled train set that can reduce travel time by 40 per cent.

This Delhi- Katra train has a bigger pantry compared to the first Train 18 or other Vande Bharat Express. Also, This train has windows with a special provision to protect against stone-pelting and a cattle guard in the front to prevent damage to the train or derailment in case of cattle run.

Other features

The Vande Bharat Express was designed and built by Integral Coach Factory (ICF) Chennai under central government's Make in India initiative over a span of 18 months.

The railways is expected to manufacture 40 more such trains by 2022, according to senior officials.
The first Vande Bharat Express was flagged off by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the Delhi-Varanasi route.