Vande Bharat Train to Agra: Low Occupancy Rates

Udaipur : The Vande Bharat Express, which currently operates six days a week (except Tuesdays) between Udaipur and Jaipur, will now extend its route to Agra Cantt three days a week starting today. However, the train is facing low occupancy rates on both routes.

Despite being announced a month ago on July 31st, only 75 out of the 608 seats on the Udaipur-Agra route have been booked. This includes a mere 175 bookings from various stations along the route, totaling only 250 seats filled. This represents just 41% of the total capacity.

Several factors may contribute to the low occupancy: the train’s schedule, the lack of sleeper class for long journeys, and the absence of major stations between Udaipur and Kota.

Train Details

The train departs from Udaipur at 5:45 AM and reaches Agra Cantt at 2:30 PM after covering a distance of 612 kilometers. It has a total of 608 seats, including 546 in seven AC chair car coaches and 58 in one executive class coach.

The low occupancy can be attributed to several factors:

• Travel Time: The journey to Agra takes nearly nine hours. For travelers with personal or leisure purposes, this long duration can be inconvenient.
• Lack of Sleeper Class: Given the long journey, the absence of sleeper class accommodations may deter passengers from booking tickets.
• High Fare: Compared to other trains, the Vande Bharat Express has higher fares, while the travel time is not significantly shorter.
• Limited Major Stations: Apart from Kota, there are no other major stations along the route. Coaching cities, which typically have a high student population, often prefer lower fares.

Why Passengers Prefer Buses

Students, for instance, often prefer overnight buses for travel between Udaipur and Kota. These buses depart from Udaipur at 10:30 PM and arrive in Kota at 5:00 AM, with fares as low as 400 rupees. In contrast, the Vande Bharat Express charges 745 rupees for chair car and 1465 rupees for executive class, excluding catering.