Vande Bharat New Feature: Passengers Can Book Ticket 15 Minutes Before Train Departure (Photo on X@TVC138)

Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala: The Southern Railway has recently introduced a real-time reservation facility on Vande Bharat, allowing train travelers to book tickets just 15 minutes before its departure from the station. The move, aimed at improving train occupancy and passenger convenience, would be effective from July 17, Thursday.

With the new rule, passengers can book available tickets on Vande Bharat online or through the station counter 15 minutes before the train departure from the station they want to board in.

Read Also: Budget 2024: 40,000 Rail Bogeys To Be Converted To Vande Bharat Standards

Earlier, people were unable to book tickets to Vande Bharat once the train departed from its starting station. After the train leaves its source station, travelers wee unable to book tickets en route the stations, hindering occupancy rate.

The facility will be available on the Thiruvananthapuram-Mangaluru and Mangaluru- Mangaluru-Thiruvananthapuram trains via Alappuzha in Kerala. Some of the other trains that the facility were launched include Chennai – Nagercoil, Nagercoil – Chennai, Coimbatore – Bengaluru, Mangaluru – – Madgav, Madhura – Bengaluru and Chennai – Vijayawada.

Read Also: Congress Vs Ashwini Vaishnaw On Vande Bharat Occupancy

There were earlier reports that Vande Bharat trains have a low occupancy rate – only around 50% occupancy in  Mangaluru-Madgaon Vande Bharat Express., as per a report by The Hindu Congress had asked the government to release occupancy data for 51 trains individually in a table.