Delhi – Bhopal Vande Bharat Express (20171 / 20172)

Timetable last checked 12 November 2026 (data from 11 November 2026). Fares checked 12 November 2026.

Train summary

Which Delhi station? This Vande Bharat Express uses Hazrat Nizamuddin (NZM), not New Delhi (NDLS). The two are separate stations, so if you search IRCTC from New Delhi (NDLS) to Bhopal, 20172 may not show up. Search from Hazrat Nizamuddin and check the station code on your ticket before you leave home.

Which Bhopal station? Both trains start and end at Rani Kamalapati (RKMP), not Bhopal Jn (BPL). Rani Kamalapati is the station that was called Habibganj until November 2021. Source: ThePrint Booking sites spell it “Rani Kamalapati” or “Rani Kamlapati”; both mean RKMP. The train does not call at Bhopal Jn, so a search from BPL to Delhi may not list 20171. The only Vande Bharat that stops at Bhopal Jn is the Indore–Nagpur train, covered on the Madhya Pradesh Vande Bharat page.

The Prime Minister flagged off this Rani Kamalapati–Delhi Vande Bharat train at Bhopal on 1 April 2023. Source: PIB, Prime Minister’s Office

20172 Hazrat Nizamuddin to Rani Kamalapati timetable

20171 Rani Kamalapati to Hazrat Nizamuddin timetable

All stops are on the same day, and every halt is 4 minutes long. For live running status, use NTES with train number 20171 or 20172.

How fast is the Delhi Bhopal Vande Bharat Express?

Over the full 700 km, the timetable gives an average of about 92 km/h in both directions, including the three halts. That makes it one of the quicker Vande Bharat trains on our list, and with only three halts it loses little time at stations. The pace is not even along the line:

• 20172 out of Delhi covers the 188 km from Hazrat Nizamuddin to Agra Cantt in 1 h 36 min, an average of about 117 km/h. This is the fastest stretch of the timetable in either direction.
• 20171 into Delhi takes 2 h 11 min for the 187 km from Agra Cantt to Hazrat Nizamuddin, about 86 km/h. The timetable allows more time towards Delhi than away from it on this section.
• The long run between Jhansi and Bhopal is 297 km with no stop. 20171 does it in 2 h 59 min (about 100 km/h); 20172 is given 3 h 16 min (about 91 km/h).

These are averages worked out from the scheduled times and distances, not the train’s top speed. Delays on the busy Delhi–Agra section can add time on the day, so check NTES if you have a connection to make.

Boarding at Agra, Gwalior and Jhansi

You do not have to start at Hazrat Nizamuddin or Rani Kamalapati. Every station in the tables is a boarding and alighting point, and IRCTC sells tickets between any two of them.

Train 20172, Hazrat Nizamuddin → Rani Kamalapati:

• Agra Cantt (AGC). Arrives 16:16, leaves 16:20: 1 h 36 min and 188 km from Hazrat Nizamuddin, with 5 h 56 min and 512 km still to go to Bhopal. In the other direction, 20171 calls here at 11:01.
• Gwalior (GWL). Arrives 17:38, leaves 17:42: 2 h 58 min and 306 km from Delhi, with 4 h 34 min and 394 km to go. 20171 calls here at 09:41.
• Virangana Lakshmibai Jhansi (VGLJ). Arrives 18:56, leaves 19:00: 4 h 16 min and 403 km from Delhi, with 3 h 16 min and 297 km to go. 20171 calls here at 08:39.

Train 20171, Rani Kamalapati → Hazrat Nizamuddin:

• Virangana Lakshmibai Jhansi (VGLJ). Arrives 08:39, leaves 08:43: 2 h 59 min and 297 km from Bhopal, with 4 h 33 min and 403 km to go to Delhi.
• Gwalior (GWL). Arrives 09:41, leaves 09:45: 4 h 1 min and 395 km from Bhopal, with 3 h 31 min and 305 km to go.
• Agra Cantt (AGC). Arrives 11:01, leaves 11:05: 5 h 21 min and 513 km from Bhopal, with 2 h 11 min and 187 km to go.

Booking sites list Jhansi under its current name, Virangana Lakshmibai Jhansi, with the code VGLJ.

Agra Cantt is the Agra station for this train. It does not stop at Agra Fort or Raja Ki Mandi. Gwalior also gets the Delhi–Khajuraho Vande Bharat, so Gwalior travellers have two Vande Bharat trains each way; see Vande Bharat trains from Delhi for that one.

To board at an intermediate station, search from that station on IRCTC, or change the boarding point on an existing e-ticket before the chart. See the ticket change guide.

Delhi to Bhopal Vande Bharat ticket price

Fares are with the meal, one adult, General quota, checked 12 November 2026. They come from erail.in’s IRCTC fare data, and we kept each figure only because it agreed with erail’s own fare calculation from the official rules, so confirm on IRCTC before you pay. Choosing No Food lowers the price by the meal charge. We do not have checked fares for shorter trips such as Delhi to Gwalior or Agra to Bhopal; get those from IRCTC for your exact station pair.

Bhopal to Delhi on 20171 costs ₹55 more in CC and ₹50 more in EC than Delhi to Bhopal on 20172. The distance and class are the same both ways, so the base fare should be the same; erail does not show the breakdown, so we cannot say which charge makes up the gap.

How the fare is built, for every Vande Bharat Chair Car train:

• Base fare set by distance and class. The Ministry of Railways fixes the Vande Bharat base fare at 1.4 times Shatabdi in CC and 1.3 times in EC. Source: PIB
• Reservation charge and superfast charge, both fixed per class.
• GST on the AC fare.
• Catering charge, if you keep the meal.
• No dynamic fare. The price does not rise as seats fill up; only availability changes. Source: PIB, February 2026

EC costs ₹1,455 more than CC on 20172 and ₹1,450 more on 20171. For that you get wider 2+2 seats instead of 3+2. See CC vs EC and the seat guide for window seats and coach layouts, how Vande Bharat ticket prices work for the full breakdown, and the food guide for what the meal includes.

Booking the Delhi Bhopal Vande Bharat train

Booking opens on IRCTC 60 days before the journey, at 08:00 IST, not counting the journey day. For Monday 11 January 2027, booking opens on Thursday 12 November 2026 at 08:00. Remember that neither train runs on Saturday, so a Saturday date will not show either train. Find the date for your trip with the booking date calculator.

When you search, use the station codes: NZM for Delhi and RKMP for Bhopal. If you search from Bhopal Jn or New Delhi instead, the results may show other trains and miss this one. The booking guide covers IRCTC step by step, including quotas, waiting lists and how to pick a seat.

Tatkal opens at 10:00 IST the day before the train leaves its first station. For 20171 that means the day before the 05:40 departure from Rani Kamalapati, even if you board at Gwalior. See the Tatkal guide for the charge and the rules; a confirmed Tatkal ticket gets no refund if you cancel.

Refund if you cancel a Delhi Bhopal Vande Bharat ticket

The refund bands are counted from the train’s scheduled departure at its first station: 14:40 at Hazrat Nizamuddin for 20172 and 05:40 at Rani Kamalapati for 20171. For a confirmed ticket, per passenger, using the 72, 24 and 8-hour bands:

• 20172 in CC (₹1,695): cancel more than 72 hours before and you get back about ₹1,506; 72 to 24 hours before, about ₹1,250; 24 to 8 hours before, about ₹805; less than 8 hours before, nothing.
• 20172 in EC (₹3,150): about ₹2,898, ₹2,323 and ₹1,496 in the same three bands; nothing in the last 8 hours.
• 20171 in CC (₹1,750): about ₹1,561, ₹1,291 and ₹831; nothing in the last 8 hours.
• 20171 in EC (₹3,200): about ₹2,948, ₹2,360 and ₹1,520; nothing in the last 8 hours.

IRCTC’s published refund rules still show older 48, 12 and 4-hour bands, and GST can move these by a few rupees, so the figure on IRCTC’s cancel screen is final. The Vande Bharat cancellation charges guide explains both sets of bands, and the refund calculator gives your own figure. A ticket still waitlisted at chart time is cancelled and refunded automatically, less the clerkage charge.

When is the chart prepared for the Delhi Bhopal Vande Bharat?

• 20171 leaves Rani Kamalapati at 05:40, so its first chart is prepared by 20:00 the evening before.
• 20172 leaves Hazrat Nizamuddin at 14:40, so its first chart is prepared by 04:40 on the day of travel (10 hours before departure).

After the first chart, waiting-list tickets are settled and your coach and seat number appear on the PNR. Check it on IRCTC or the Indian Railways PNR enquiry. The chart preparation time tool works it out for any date.

Can you go and return the same day?

• From Bhopal to Delhi: 20171 reaches Hazrat Nizamuddin at 13:16 and 20172 leaves at 14:40. That is 1 h 24 min in Delhi, enough only for a meeting at or near the station. A late arrival would eat into it.
• From Delhi to Bhopal: not possible. 20172 reaches Bhopal at 22:16, and the next train back is 20171 at 05:40 the following morning.
• From Bhopal to the stops on the way: the timings suit day trips from Bhopal. Take 20171 out in the morning and 20172 back in the evening: about 10 h 21 min in Jhansi (08:39 to 19:00), 8 h 1 min in Gwalior (09:41 to 17:42) or 5 h 19 min in Agra (11:01 to 16:20).

Both trains are off on Saturday, so a Saturday day trip is not possible, and a Friday trip that ends in Bhopal late at night has no train back the next morning; the earliest return is Sunday. The same-day return planner checks this for any pair of stations.

Delhi Bhopal Vande Bharat FAQs

What is the timing of the Delhi to Bhopal Vande Bharat? Train 20172 leaves Hazrat Nizamuddin at 14:40 and reaches Rani Kamalapati (Bhopal) at 22:16.

What is the timing of the Bhopal to Delhi Vande Bharat? Train 20171 leaves Rani Kamalapati at 05:40 and reaches Hazrat Nizamuddin at 13:16.

Which station does the Delhi Bhopal Vande Bharat use in Delhi? Hazrat Nizamuddin (NZM). It does not start from New Delhi (NDLS).

Does the Vande Bharat stop at Bhopal Jn? No. Both trains start and end at Rani Kamalapati (RKMP), the station formerly called Habibganj. They do not call at Bhopal Jn (BPL).

What is the Rani Kamlapati Vande Bharat train number? 20171 from Rani Kamalapati to Hazrat Nizamuddin, and 20172 from Hazrat Nizamuddin to Rani Kamalapati.

On which day does the Delhi Bhopal Vande Bharat not run? Saturday, in both directions.

What are the 20171 train timings and stops? 20171 leaves Rani Kamalapati at 05:40, stops at Virangana Lakshmibai Jhansi (08:39), Gwalior (09:41) and Agra Cantt (11:01), and reaches Hazrat Nizamuddin at 13:16.

What are the 20172 train timings and stops? 20172 leaves Hazrat Nizamuddin at 14:40, stops at Agra Cantt (16:16), Gwalior (17:38) and Virangana Lakshmibai Jhansi (18:56), and reaches Rani Kamalapati at 22:16.

What is the Delhi to Bhopal Vande Bharat ticket price? With the meal, Delhi to Bhopal on 20172 is ₹1,695 in CC and ₹3,150 in EC, and Bhopal to Delhi on 20171 is ₹1,750 in CC and ₹3,200 in EC (one adult, General quota, checked 12 November 2026). Confirm on IRCTC before paying.

How long does the Vande Bharat take from Delhi to Bhopal? 7 hours 36 minutes for 700 km, in both directions.

What time does the Vande Bharat reach Gwalior? 20171 reaches Gwalior at 09:41 on the way to Delhi, and 20172 reaches it at 17:38 on the way to Bhopal.

Can I travel from Delhi to Agra on this Vande Bharat? Yes. 20172 leaves Hazrat Nizamuddin at 14:40 and reaches Agra Cantt at 16:16. Towards Delhi, 20171 leaves Agra Cantt at 11:05 and reaches Hazrat Nizamuddin at 13:16. Check that fare on IRCTC.

When does booking open for the Delhi Bhopal Vande Bharat Express? 60 days before the journey at 08:00 IST on IRCTC. For Monday 11 January 2027, it opens on Thursday 12 November 2026.

When is the chart prepared for 20171 and 20172? For 20171, by 20:00 the evening before. For 20172, by 04:40 on the day of travel.

When was the Bhopal Delhi Vande Bharat launched? It was flagged off at Rani Kamalapati station on 1 April 2023.

Related routes

• All Vande Bharat trains in Madhya Pradesh
• All Vande Bharat trains from Delhi
• Full Vande Bharat route list

Sources

Timetable, stops and running days: erail 20171, erail 20172, cross-checked with ConfirmTkt 20171 and ConfirmTkt 20172, 11 November 2026. Fares: erail.in IRCTC fare data, cross-checked against erail’s fare calculation, 12 November 2026. Launch: PIB, Prime Minister’s Office. Station rename: ThePrint. Fare rules: PIB, PIB, February 2026. Always confirm on IRCTC or NTES before travel. Report a correction.