Two Vande Bharat trains on Raj routes dropped

Jaipur/Udaipur: In a setback to Rajasthan's premium rail network, the North Western Railway (NWR) has discontinued two Vande Bharat Express services on the Jaipur–Agra and Jaipur–Udaipur sectors, citing poor passenger turnout and comparatively higher ticket prices. The decision comes into effect this weekend, with Railway officials saying the trains may be redeployed on more profitable routes with stronger demand.Railway officials confirmed that the Udaipur–Jaipur Vande Bharat was withdrawn from Saturday, while the Udaipur–Agra Cantt service will stop running from Sunday.
Though positioned as a semi-high-speed premium train with modern amenities and onboard catering, both services reportedly saw low occupancy, with many seats remaining vacant on most days. Senior NWR officials admitted that pricing was another key factor behind the decision to drop the two trains.A chair car ticket on the Jaipur–Udaipur route was priced around Rs 1,100, while executive class seats went for nearly Rs 1,800. Sleeper class fares for the same route on standard trains, in contrast, stood at around Rs 400, while chair car tickets cost roughly Rs 800, making the premium option less attractive for regular travellers."Yes, there was less passenger load on both these trains; we are exploring other routes where demand is stronger," said Amit Sudarshan, chief public relations officer, NWR. He added that a new Vande Bharat service between Udaipur and Asarva, Gujarat, will begin from Feb 16.Tour operators, especially those catering to the Golden Triangle circuit of Jaipur, Agra and Delhi, expressed concern over the decision. With only a single Vande Bharat now operational between Jaipur and Delhi, travel agents fear the move could affect high-end tourist movement."They should have waited before discontinuing these trains," said Jaipur-based tour operator Sanjay Kaushik.