15-minute current booking rule boosts Vande Bharat train ridership across Southern Railway

Indian Railways’ 15-minute current booking rule

The Railway official added that despite consistently high occupancy, Southern Railway’s current booking initiative allows passengers to book vacant seats up to 15 minutes before a train’s departure from both the originating and en route stations, which makes it easier for last-minute travellers to secure reservations.

On July 17, 2025, Southern Railway introduced a current booking facility for eight Vande Bharat trains originating in the zone, allowing passengers to book vacant seats at en route stations up to 15 minutes before the train’s departure. These are:

• Train number 20631 Mangaluru Central-Thiruvananthapuram Central Vande Bharat Express
• Train number 20632 Thiruvananthapuram Central- Mangaluru Central Vande Bharat Express
• Train number 20627 Chennai Egmore-Nagercoil Vande Bharat Express
• Train number 20628 Nagercoil – Chennai Egmore Vande Bharat Express
• Train number 20642 Coimbatore-Bengaluru Cantt. Vande Bharat Express
• Train number 20646 Mangaluru Central-Madgaon Vande Bharat Express
• Train number 20671 Madurai-Bengaluru Cantt. Vande Bharat Express
• Train number 20677 Dr MGR Chennai Central-Vijayawada Vande Bharat Express

Indian Railways’ 15-minute booking rule pushes Vande Bharat train occupancy above 100%

In a statement, Southern Railway said a comparison of the three months after the scheme’s implementation (August–October 2025) for the eight pilot Vande Bharat trains showed a significant increase in both current-booking passengers and revenue across almost all routes.

“Encouraged by these results, Southern Railway has since extended the reform across the board. The concept of current-booking facility, enabling vacant-seat booking at source and at all enroute stations up to 15 minutes before departure, has now been implemented in all 17 Vande Bharat trains originating over Southern Railway,” the CPRO said.

Vande Bharat train performance over Southern Railway

Narain said the combined impact of strong passenger demand and the current booking facility has been reflected in the overall performance of Southern Railway’s Vande Bharat train services, with both ridership and revenue registering steady growth.