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Passenger groups and daily travellers are once again asking Indian Railways to increase the number of coaches on the Ajni-Pune Vande Bharat Express. The train currently runs with only eight coaches, but passengers state it should be expanded to 16 because tickets are always heavily booked and waiting lists
remain long. Their demand grew stronger after the Railway Board recently doubled the coach count of the Nagpur-Indore Vande Bharat from eight to 16.
Difference Between Services
A seat availability check showed a clear difference between the two services. The upgraded Nagpur-Indore train now has 500 to 850 seats available per day for the next month. In contrast, the Ajni-Pune Vande Bharat is fully booked and waitlisted until December.
Vande Bharat Trains Operated by Nagpur Division
Nagpur division currently operates four Vande Bharat trains: Ajni-Pune, Nagpur-Bilaspur, Nagpur-Secunderabad, and Nagpur-Indore. All trains receive a strong response. In October, 65,341 passengers travelled on these services, generating ₹7.15 crore in revenue. The Nagpur-Pune route recorded the second-highest ridership.
Passengers' Rising Demand for Coaches
Passenger representatives say they have repeatedly submitted requests for more coaches. ZRUCC member Brij Bhushan Shukla said there are three Vande Bharat configurations: 8, 16, and 20 coaches, and they have asked for a 20-coach train because the route has very high demand. He added that the upgrade depends on the availability of coaches. Shukla also urged the Railways to introduce a Vande Bharat sleeper train between Nagpur and Pune, as the journey is long and senior citizens and disabled passengers face difficulties in chair-car coaches.
Another ZRUCC member, Nitin Solanki, said that because trains remain full, passengers are forced to take private buses, which are expensive. He stressed the need to increase coach capacity. With high occupancy continuing every month, passengers hope the upgrade given to the Nagpur-Indore train will soon be extended to the Ajni-Pune route as well.
