New Stop Added On Northeast’s First Vande Bharat Express : Does This Affect Your Travel Time? Check New Schedule

India’s first Vande Bharat Express in Northeast India has received a revised schedule with an additional stoppage. Flagged off by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on May 29, 2023, the train is operated and maintained by the Northeast Frontier Railway zone. This semi-high-speed service connects Guwahati in Assam with New Jalpaiguri in West Bengal. The train marked third new-age Vande Bharat train for West Bengal after Howrah-New Jalpaiguri and Howrah-Puri services.

It covers a distance of 409 kilometres in just 5 hours and 30 minutes. The service provides a reliable option for passengers travelling for work, leisure or tourism. While the new halt may cause a slight delay, it will be minimal as Vande Bharat trains generally have a stoppage window of just two minutes at each station.

To improve regional connectivity, the Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) has added a new stop at Gossaigaon Hat station. With this addition, the train now halts at seven stations instead of six. Other stops include Kamakhya, Rangiya, New Bongaigaon, Kokrajhar, New Alipurduar and New Coochbehar.

Train number 22228 departs Guwahati at 16:30 hours and arrives at New Jalpaiguri at 22:00 hours. The return service, train number 22227, leaves New Jalpaiguri at 06:10 hours and reaches Guwahati at 11:40 hours. The train operates six days a week excluding Tuesdays. With the addition of a new stop, the train.

The Vande Bharat Express has eight coaches in total. Seven are air-conditioned chair cars and one is an executive AC chair car. The executive coach offers 180-degree rotating seats and additional legroom. AC Chair Car fares are around Rs 1,225 while Executive AC fares are approximately Rs 2,205. All fares include catering though prices may vary based on the boarding point and IRCTC dynamic pricing.

Passengers can enjoy modern amenities on board such as onboard Wi-Fi, GPS-based passenger information systems, CCTV cameras, bio-vacuum toilets and automatic doors. Safety is enhanced with the indigenously developed KAVACH train collision avoidance system. Rotating seats in the Executive Coach improve comfort for longer journeys.

The service also strengthens access to tourist and cultural sites. Key destinations connected include Maa Kamakhya Temple, Kaziranga National Park, Manas National Park and Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary. It also improves travel options to Shillong, Cherrapunji in Meghalaya and Tawang and Pasighat in Arunachal Pradesh.

Alongside the semi-high-speed daytime Vande Bharat, Indian Railways has introduced the Vande Bharat Sleeper service on the Guwahati–Kolkata route earlier this year. This inaugural sleeper train connects Howrah (Kolkata) and Kamakhya (Guwahati) which covers roughly 972 kilometres in about 14 hours. The service departs in the evening around 6:15 PM and arrives the following morning at approximately 8:15 AM.

The Vande Bharat Sleeper train runs with a standard 16-coach rake. It includes 11 AC 3-Tier coaches, 4 AC 2-Tier coaches and 1 AC First Class coach that can accommodate a total of 823 passengers. Meals are provided on board that feature regional delicacies depending on the train’s origin such as Assamese and Bengali cuisine.

Fares are approximately Rs 2,300 for AC 3-Tier, Rs 3,000 for AC 2-Tier and Rs 3,600 for AC First Class. Indian Railways plans to roll out more sleeper services in 2026 including routes such as Delhi–Amritsar expected by winter. By March 2027, the network aims to operate 12 Vande Bharat sleeper trainsets.