Mumbai-Goa Vande Bharat ticket price likely to be comparable to airfare

Mumbai: After postponement due to the Balasore accident, the Mumbai-Madgaon Vande Bharat Express is most likely to be flagged off on June 27. However, it might prove to be a costly ride with the price for the Executive Chair (EC) car expected to be comparable to the air fare for Mumbai-Goa journey, and the Chair Car (CC) likely to be priced higher than the Shatabdi trains.

The tentative fares for EC chair car are ₹2,915 and ₹1435 for the CC. The airfares from Mumbai-Goa range from ₹1,800 to ₹2,100 depending on the airline and time of the flight.

“We are yet to receive final notification for the flag off of the express, though it is most likely on June 27,” said a senior railway official on Tuesday. “The fares and timings are finalised by the Railway Board (in Delhi). These are tentative fares, final confirmation is awaited.”

The fares of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) - Madgaon Vande Bharat express is marginally cheaper than Tejas Express. The EC is priced at ₹2,980, and CC at ₹1,525 for Tejas Express, which takes nine hours and 58 minutes with maximum speed of 120 kmph.

The Vande Bharat train will have seven CC coaches and one EC coach. The new train will cut down travel time by almost an hour and will take nine hours and 50 minutes to cover the distance of 586 kms.

The CSMT-Madgaon Vande Bharat Express will have halts at Dadar, Thane, Panvel, Roha, Khed, Ratnagiri, Kankavli and Thivim. The train will run six days a week, except on Friday.

Prime minister Narendra Modi will flag off four more Vande Bharat trains on other routes on June 27. These routes are Patna-Ranchi, Bengaluru-Hubballi, Bhopal-Indore and Bhopal–Jabalpur.

The Indian Railways were set to flag off the Mumbai-Goa Vande Bharat Express from Madgaon station on June 3, but it was delayed due to the tragic train accident in Odisha’s Balasore district on June 2.