100% Occupancy Prompts Demand for Vande Bharat on Hyd-Mumbai Route
Passengers have been repeatedly urging for more services and a faster Vande Bharat option
Hyderabad: There is a strong demand for additional regular trains between Hyderabad and Mumbai, as services on this route are operating at near 100 per cent occupancy. Regular passengers have been repeatedly urging the railway authorities to introduce more trains on the route and to examine the feasibility of operating a Vande Bharat service.
At present, 11 trains connect Hyderabad and Mumbai, including five daily services. Of these, three are passing trains and two are direct daily services. Regular commuters said the existing travel time ranges between 12 and 14 hours. They said the introduction of a Vande Bharat service could reduce travel time by around two hours, which would benefit professionals, business travellers and frequent commuters. The distance between the two cities is about 740 km.
Railway officials explained that the Vande Bharat service operating between Hyderabad and Nagpur covers about 580 km in seven-and-a-half hours, but requires short maintenance halts after completing a run. They noted that a Hyderabad-Mumbai Vande Bharat service, which would take more than 11 to 12 hours, may not be suitable for daily operations. However, with the introduction of Vande Bharat sleeper trains, the proposal could become viable if the Railway Board allots such a service to the South Central Railway.
Meanwhile, commuters pointed out that the two direct daily trains, the Hussainsagar Express and the Mumbai Express, operate at different times, with one departing in the afternoon and the other arriving in the afternoon. They said the Railways should plan timings carefully while introducing new services to ensure greater convenience for passengers.
