GK: Which Vande Bharat Express Has The Highest Occupancy?

The Vande Bharat Express has become one of India’s most popular modern train services, but one route clearly stands out when it comes to passenger demand. The Thiruvananthapuram Central-Mangaluru Central Vande Bharat Express (Train No. 20632) has recorded the highest occupancy among all Vande Bharat trains in the country. 

The Thiruvananthapuram-Mangaluru Vande Bharat Express tops the national chart with an occupancy rate of 187.78%, the highest among all Vande Bharat services in India. This means the train consistently carries far more passengers than its total reserved seating capacity, especially due to heavy short-distance travel along the route. 

The route’s exceptionally high demand is driven by strong inter-city travel demand in Kerala and coastal Karnataka, heavy movement of students, workers and business travellers, lLimited number of fast and comfortable train options on the corridor, and high usage for short-distance sectional travel, not just end-to-end journeys. 

Railways data shows that multiple stations along the route, including Kollam, Ernakulam, Kozhikode, Kannur and Kasaragod, see large passenger turnover throughout the journey. This leads to a situation where seats are continuously re-occupied by different passengers at different legs of the trip, pushing occupancy beyond 100%. 

While several Vande Bharat routes across India show strong demand, the Thiruvananthapuram-Mangaluru service consistently ranks at the very top of occupancy charts nationwide, making it a key indicator of high inter-city rail demand in southern India. 

An occupancy rate of 187.78% does not mean overcrowding beyond capacity in a literal sense throughout the journey, but reflects multiple passengers using the same seat during different sections, high booking turnover across stations, and extremely strong demand on specific route segments.