Now, Book Vande Bharat Tickets Just 15 Minutes Before Train Arrival At These Stations

In a major relief for train travellers, Indian Railways has enabled last-minute ticket bookings for eight Vande Bharat Express trains operated by the Southern Railway zone.

Passengers can now book tickets from en route stations up to 15 minutes before a Vande Bharat train's arrival, following a recent update in the Passenger Reservation System (PRS), The Indian Express reported.

This change marks a shift from the earlier system, where ticket booking from intermediate stations was restricted once the train departed from its origin station.

In a statement, Southern Railway said, “For the 8 Vande Bharat trains originating from Southern Railway, current reservations can be done at enroute stations upto 15 minutes before the departure.”

The objective is to improve passenger convenience, maximise seat utilisation, and reduce last-minute hassles.

The newly available booking window applies to the following trains:

 20631 Mangaluru Central-Thiruvananthapuram Central

 20632 Thiruvananthapuram Central-Mangaluru Central

 20627 Chennai Egmore-Nagercoil

 20628 Nagercoil-Chennai Egmore

 20642 Coimbatore-Bengaluru Cantt.

 20646 Mangaluru Central-Madgaon

 20671 Madurai-Bengaluru Cantt.

 20677 Dr MGR Chennai Central-Vijayawada

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This feature is expected to help passengers make spontaneous travel plans while also aiding in improving train occupancy rates.

According to Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, the Vande Bharat trains have consistently reported high occupancy.

In the Lok Sabha last week, he stated that the trains recorded 102.01 per cent occupancy in FY 2024-25 and 105.03 per cent in FY 2025-26 (till June 2025).

Currently, 144 Vande Bharat Express trains are running across India, with more expected to be introduced, including the first Vande Bharat sleeper version scheduled for launch in September.

Also Read: Vande Bharat Sleeper Expansion: Ten Trains In Production, 50 More In Pipeline At Integral Coach Factory Chennai