The special Vande Bharat Express, launched for Diwali between Lucknow and Chhapra, is witnessing almost no bookings, with most seats still available. The train is scheduled to begin operations on October 25 and will run for 13 trips on each side until November 8. However, except for October 30, very few tickets have been sold so far.
The train will depart from Lucknow's Charbagh Railway Station (train number 02270) at 2:15 PM, stopping at Sultanpur Junction at 4:05 PM, Varanasi Junction at 6:20 PM, Ghazipur City at 7:33 PM, Ballia at 8:23 PM, and Surimanpur at 8:55 PM before reaching Chhapra Junction at 9:30 PM.
For the return trip, train number 02269 will leave Chhapra Junction at 11:00 PM, stopping at Ballia, Ghazipur City, Varanasi, and Sultanpur before reaching Lucknow at 6:30 AM.
According to reports, high ticket prices and lack of awareness seem to be the reasons for low bookings. The fare for the chair car from Lucknow to Chhapra is set at Rs 1780, while the executive chair car costs Rs 3125. In comparison, Rajdhani Express’s third AC fare is Rs 1550, and the first AC fare is Rs 2565, even though both trains take nearly the same time to reach their destinations. Additionally, many passengers are unaware of this special train, which is affecting ticket sales further.
This situation suggests that the high ticket prices and insufficient information about the service are keeping passengers away from booking the Vande Bharat Express for their Diwali travel plans.
