Vande Bharat Sleeper train to reduce Nagpur-Mumbai travel time to 10 hours; launch expected soon

Vande Bharat sleeper trains are set to link Nagpur with Pune and Mumbai, offering a major boost to rail travel in the region. The proposal for the same has already been submitted to the Railway Board by the Central Railway's Nagpur division and is currently under review. Read on to know about the current rail travel situation between these cities.

At present, the journey from Nagpur to Mumbai takes 16 hours by regular train, with the super-fast bringing it down to 12-13 hours. The Duronto Express offers the quickest alternative, completing the route in roughly 12 hours. However, the introduction of Vande Bharat sleeper trains is expected to reduce this travel time to 10 hours for Nagpur-Mumbai and three hours for Nagpur-Pune.

Currently, train services from Nagpur to Pune are limited, with only a few options – Nagpur-Pune Superfast Express and Garib Rath Express running three times a week, and Humsafar Express once weekly. Passengers also have the Azad Hind Express and Hatia-Pune Superfast Express to choose from, but overcrowding during festival seasons has been a persistent issue.

The Nagpur-Mumbai route has even fewer choices, with only the Vidarbha Express and Sevagram Express available, resulting in longer wait times for passengers. This has led many to opt for road transport, despite it being less efficient.