Overview
- The Railway Board directed that catering be included in fares, with IRCTC reimbursed Rs 0.40 per passenger per km (excluding GST), and every passenger to receive a 1‑litre Rail Neer bottle and a newspaper.
- A January 9 circular fixed up‑to‑400‑km fares at Rs 1,520 (AC First), Rs 1,240 (AC 2‑tier) and Rs 960 (AC 3‑tier), with per‑km charges beyond 400 km and a 400‑km minimum chargeable distance.
- Only confirmed tickets will be issued for the service with no RAC, waitlist or partial confirmations, limited reservation quotas will apply, and digital payments are preferred to enable refunds within 24 hours.
- The first Vande Bharat Sleeper on the Howrah–Guwahati (Kamakhya) route is scheduled to be flagged off by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on January 17, with commercial operations to follow.
- Indian Railways announced nine additional Amrit Bharat Express services from West Bengal and Assam—linking Rohtak, Lucknow (Gomti Nagar), Nagercoil, Tiruchirappalli, SMVT Bengaluru, Mumbai (Panvel), Tambaram, Anand Vihar Terminal and Banaras—offering non‑AC sleeper travel at about Rs 500 per 1,000 km with modern amenities.