Overview

• Three 16-car services will be expanded to 20-car on Mangaluru–Thiruvananthapuram, Secunderabad–Tirupati, and Chennai Egmore–Tirunelveli.
• Four 8-car services will be increased to 16-car on Madurai–Bengaluru Cantt, Deoghar–Varanasi, Howrah–Rourkela, and Indore–Nagpur.
• Released 16-car and 8-car rakes from these upgrades will be redeployed to start additional Vande Bharat services.
• The Railway Board described the move as a tentative augmentation based on FY 2025–26 occupancy data through July 31 and operational feasibility.
• Officials added that more 20-car sets are being prepared for launch, while one 16-car set will be available for augmentation, with one report noting overall Vande Bharat occupancy above 100 percent.