While so far it was aviation that was considered superior, now both roads and railways are taking away a good chunk of travellers by offering better and cheaper yet comfortable alternatives. Among the initiatives of the Railways Ministry, it is the Vande Bharat trains that are challenging both road and air travel modes.
The first Vande Bharat was launched in February 2019. Since then, 33 more trains have been added to the fleet and almost all of these are highly popular. Various zones of the Indian Railways have claimed that the train is the first choice for people from almost all sections, challenging both air and road traffic.
According to an estimate from the Railways Ministry, over the last few months, Vande Bharat trains on the Chennai-Bengaluru, Thiruvananathapuram-Kasargod, Mumbai-Pune, Jamnagar-Ahmedabad and Delhi-Jaipur routes have impacted the fare and customer base of airlines.
“Airfares on these sectors have fallen by 20-30 per cent since April. The launch of Vande Bharat on these routes has significantly impacted 10-20 per cent of the customer base of airlines,” an official estimate seen by News18 reads.
Not just air but Vande Bharat is challenging even road transport. The ministry also claimed that people prefer Vande Bharat over traveling in their own vehicles.
“For example, Vande Bharat train from Vijayawada to Renigunta (Tirupati) takes five hours whereas the road journey takes seven hours,” the document added.
The ministry has compared the airfares before the launch of Vande Bharat trains on these routes with the current rates, according to an official. The official, seeking anonymity, said as of date, Vande Bharat is the most sought-after train across India.
“The craze of Vande Bharat amongst the youth can be tracked on social media, with people uploading their selfies and making videos with this new train of the Indian Railways,” they told News18.
The ministry document also claims that irrespective of gender, around 60 per cent of passengers traveling in Vande Bharat trains are aged between 25 and 49 years.
Here’s a look at the situation in some of the zones:
Central Zone
The Central Zone operates four Vande Bharat trains, all running with more than 80 per cent occupancy as of last month.
Of the total occupancy in Mumbai-Solapur-Mumbai Vande Bharat, reported between September 15 and October 13, male passengers in the age group of 31 to 45 years showed maximum preference for Vande Bharat (35.34%) while in the case of women, it is the age group of 15-30 years with 36.55 per cent.
In the Mumbai-Shirdi-Mumbai train, nearly 35 per cent of passengers were men aged between 31 and 45 years. For women, the age group between 46 and 60 years showed maximum preference for Vande Bharat at 29.79 per cent.
“It is very encouraging to note that senior citizens in the 60-plus age group also prefer travelling by Vande Bharat leading with Madgaon (17.66 per cent), Sainagar (12.44 per cent) and Bilaspur (9.57 per cent) Vande Bharat trains,” the zone claimed in a statement, adding that transgenders contribute to 4.5 per cent of the total passengers.
The zone also claimed that the launch of Vande Bharat trains had impacted air traffic by about 20 per cent that “resulted in a significant drop in air fares by 20 to 30 per cent”.
Northern Zone
The first Vande Bharat train was between Delhi and Varanasi, operated by the northern zone. Currently, the northern zone operates four Vande Bharat trains and has claimed that these semi-high speed trains have a “significant impact on the aviation industry in the states under the zone”.
As per the estimates from the zone, because of the speed, comfort, and affordable fares, Vande Bharat has become the current favourite of the youth in India as young people in the age group of 25-34 years prefer to travel by these trains.
“The increasing presence of these trains, known for their high-speed, cost-effective, and comfortable travel offerings, is likely to result in a competitive challenge for domestic airlines, particularly on short-distance routes,” the zone claimed.
The Northern Railways also said the web of Vande Bharat trains continues to increase, offering better connectivity to many commercially important states and cities.
“The working community in the age groups of 25-34 and 35-49 years prefers these trains for their daily commute due to reduced travel time, no worries of traffic and affordable prices that are within their budget,” the zone said, adding that even senior citizens are enthusiastic about travelling with the Vande Bharat Express.
Eastern Zone
The Howrah-New Jalpaiguri Vande Bharat Express, operated by the Eastern zone, has reported a remarkable surge in the travel of travel enthusiasts, including transgender passengers, an official statement from the zone claims.
As per the numbers from the zone, between October 16 and 19, the chair car and executive class compartments of the train experienced an unprecedented occupancy rate, “highlighting the growing popularity and reliability of the Vande Bharat Express among passengers”. The train recorded above 100 per cent occupancy in both chair car and executive class compartments.
“This super saturation of ticket booking in Howrah–New Jalpaiguri Vande Bharat route depicts the tourist preference to travel by Vande Bharat o¬n their way to the Darjeeling Himalayan or Dooars region,” the statement added.
The zone also added that the Railways Ministry is fostering an environment that welcomes diversity and promotes equal access to travel facilities which are inclusive and accessible. “In recent times, a total of 43 transgender passengers travelled by Howrah–New Jalpaiguri–Howrah Vande Bharat Express,” it added.
Northeast Frontier
The zone is home to a single Vande Bharat (New Jalpaiguri–Guwahati–New Jalpaiguri) that started operations in May. Since its inception, the average occupancy of the train has been around 95 per cent.
The New Jalpaiguri–Guwahati service has registered 96.93 per cent occupancy and Guwahati–New Jalpaiguri service has registered an average occupancy of 93 per cent, data up to last month shows. This train has reduced the average travel time of passengers by around o-ne-and-a-half hours.
“Welcomed by traders and businessmen apart from various sections of people around New Cooch Behar, New Alipurduar, Kokrajhar and New Bongaigaon, the service has registered good patronage since its introduction,” the zone claimed.
South Eastern Railways
The South Eastern Railway is currently operating four Vande Bharat trains — Howrah-Puri, Howrah-Ranchi, Ranchi-Patna and Rourkela-Puri.
“The nation’s youth and working class, who desire convenience, punctual service and time savings, are fans of Vande Bharat Express to suit their much sought-after needs… Data o¬n SER Vande Bharat trains depict that, on average, around 35 per cent of all passengers are women, whereas children register around 6 per cent. They prefer Vande Bharat to other modes of transportation for their quick, comfortable and safe journey,” the zone claimed.
The zonal statistics also show that about 13 per cent of all travellers are senior citizens.
South Central Railway
The five Vande Bharat trains originating from the zone have more than 100 per cent occupancy. These trains are between Tirupati–Secunderabad; Secunderabad–Visakhapatnam; Secunderabad–Tirupati; Hyderabad–Bengaluru; and Vijayawada–Chennai.
The zone also claimed that an average, 29.08 per cent passengers travelling in these trains are youngsters belonging to the age group between 25-34 years.
Similarly, in North Western Railway also, about 40 per cent of the passengers are young and from the working class between the age of 25 and 49 years. This zone also claimed that the introduction of Vande Bharat has impacted air travel in the region.
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