Indian Railways has introduced a convenient new option that lets passengers book tickets for Vande Bharat Express trains up to 15 minutes before departure from their chosen boarding station. This new facility is especially useful for travellers making last-minute travel plans. The latest, last-minute booking window is now available on select Vande Bharat routes under the Southern Railway zone, which includes key destinations in Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh. The rollout could expand further based on the response to the service.
The Southern Railway (SR) zone has rolled out a new facility enabling passengers to book Vande Bharat Express train tickets up to 15 minutes before departure. This has been made possible through recent updates to Indian Railways’ Passenger Reservation System (PRS). This real-time booking feature is currently enabled for eight trains. Until now, reservations closed once the train left its originating station, leaving empty seats unused and limiting access for passengers at later stops.
Steps to Book Vande Bharat Train Tickets Just 15 Minutes Before Departure
Follow these steps to reserve a seat just before the train departs:
- Visit the IRCTC website or use the IRCTC Rail Connect mobile app.
- Log in with your IRCTC credentials or sign up for a new account.
- Enter your trip details, including boarding station, destination, and travel date. Choose Vande Bharat Express from the options.
- View live seat availability.
- Select your preferred class, Executive or Chair Car, and confirm the boarding point.
- Pay online.
- Your ticket will be sent via SMS, email, and WhatsApp.
The railway has implemented changes in the PRS for the following eight Vande Bharat Express trains:
- 20631 Mangaluru Central – Thiruvananthapuram Central
- 20632 Thiruvananthapuram Central – Mangaluru Central
- 20627 Chennai Egmore – Nagercoil
- 20628 Nagercoil – Chennai Egmore
- 20642 Coimbatore – Bengaluru Cantonment
- 20646 Mangaluru Central – Madgaon
- 20671 Madurai – Bengaluru Cantonment
- 20677 Dr MGR Chennai Central – Vijayawada
Previously, passengers would be unable to book tickets on Vande Bharat trains once the train left its starting point, preventing passengers at later stops from reserving available seats. This often resulted in empty seats going unused while travellers from smaller towns couldn’t board these trains.
The latest update is expected to provide more convenience for users and improve seat utilisation. Indian Railways is expected to offer a broader rollout of the service, based on travellers’ response to the expanded ticket booking capability that is available in select regions.
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