Southern Railway’s network of Vande Bharat Express trains continued to witness strong passenger demand in FY26, with ridership and revenue registering significant growth driven by rising patronage and a successful current-booking initiative.
According to Southern Railway, its 24 Vande Bharat services operating across Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh carried 77.38 lakh passengers during FY26, up from 54.12 lakh passengers in FY25. Earnings from the premium train services rose to ₹803.86 crore in FY26 from ₹540.65 crore a year earlier.
Several routes, including Mangaluru–Thiruvananthapuram, Chennai Egmore–Nagercoil and Kasaragod–Thiruvananthapuram, recorded occupancy levels exceeding 100%, reflecting strong demand for the services.
The growth momentum has continued into the current financial year. During April-May 2026, Southern Railway’s Vande Bharat services carried 15.21 lakh passengers and generated revenue of ₹162.96 crore, compared with 11.41 lakh passengers and ₹119.52 crore in the corresponding period of the previous year.
Current-booking initiative boosts occupancy
Southern Railway said its current-booking initiative has played a key role in improving seat utilisation and enhancing passenger convenience. The system enables passengers to book vacant seats at originating and en-route stations up to 15 minutes before a train’s departure, making it easier for last-minute travellers to secure reservations.
The initiative was initially introduced on eight pilot Vande Bharat services and delivered a sharp increase in both passenger bookings and revenue.
Average monthly passengers booked through the current-booking facility rose by 80.93% to 30,267 during August-October 2025 from 16,729 during April-June 2025. Average monthly revenue generated through the facility increased by 78.02% to ₹222.17 lakh from ₹124.80 lakh during the same period.
Among the major beneficiaries were the Mangaluru–Thiruvananthapuram and Thiruvananthapuram–Mangaluru Vande Bharat services, which witnessed substantial growth in current-booking passenger volumes and revenues following the initiative’s rollout.
Current-booking facility extended to all originating Vande Bharat services
Encouraged by the results, Southern Railway has expanded the current-booking facility to all 17 Vande Bharat trains originating within its zone.
The impact is also visible in overall booking figures. Passengers travelling through current bookings increased to 7.42 lakh in FY26 from 2.99 lakh in FY25, while revenue from current bookings jumped to ₹57.07 crore from ₹21.82 crore.
Southern Railway said it remains focused on leveraging technology and process innovation to improve passenger convenience, maximise asset utilisation and strengthen service delivery as it continues to expand its Vande Bharat network across southern India.