Howrah – Ranchi Vande Bharat Express (20897 / 20898)

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

Train summary

Kolkata to Ranchi by Vande Bharat: the Kolkata end of this train is Howrah Jn (HWH). It does not call at Sealdah, Santragachi or Shalimar, so there is nowhere else in Kolkata to board. The first stop after Howrah is Kharagpur Jn, 116 km and 1 h 31 min out.

This train starts its day at Ranchi, not Howrah. The Vande Bharat Express leaves Ranchi early in the morning, reaches Howrah at lunchtime and goes back the same afternoon. That suits a Ranchi traveller with business in Kolkata, but a Kolkata traveller reaches Ranchi late at night. For the morning departures from Howrah to other cities, see all Vande Bharat trains from Howrah.

What kind of train this is

The Howrah to Ranchi Vande Bharat Express is a daytime Chair Car train. There are no berths, only reclining seats: CC has 3+2 seating and EC has wider 2+2 seats. See CC vs EC and the seat guide for coach layouts and window seats.

The Ranchi–Howrah Vande Bharat was flagged off by Prime Minister Narendra Modi by video conference on 24 September 2023, as Jharkhand’s second Vande Bharat train after Ranchi–Patna, and regular service began on 27 September 2023. Source: ThePrint (PTI)

The timings have changed since launch. In September 2023 the train was announced to leave Ranchi at 05:15 and reach Howrah at 12:20, and to leave Howrah at 15:45 and reach Ranchi at 22:50, with the same six stops it has today. Source: ThePrint (PTI) Older articles and videos may still show those times, so go by the tables below, and check NTES or IRCTC for your date.

20897 Howrah to Ranchi timetable

20898 Ranchi to Howrah timetable

All stops are on the same day. For live running status, use NTES with train number 20897 or 20898.

Over the full 462 km, 20897 averages about 62 km/h including stops and 20898 about 64 km/h. The longest halt is five minutes at Tatanagar in both directions; every other stop is one or two minutes, so be at the door with your bags before the train pulls in.

Howrah Ranchi Vande Bharat boarding guide: every stop

Every stop below is a boarding and alighting point, and IRCTC sells tickets between any two of them. Times are scheduled; check live running on NTES on the day.

Train 20897, Howrah → Ranchi, and its return 20898 (times for 20897 first):

• Kharagpur Jn (KGP). 20897 arrives at 16:06 and leaves at 16:08, 1 h 31 min and 116 km after Howrah, with 5 h 52 min and 346 km still to go to Ranchi. In the other direction, 20898 calls here at 11:13.
• Tatanagar Jn (TATA). The station for Jamshedpur. 20897 arrives at 17:45 and leaves at 17:50, 3 h 10 min and 250 km after Howrah, with 4 h 10 min still to go. 20898 calls here at 09:23, 3 h 23 min after leaving Ranchi.
• Chandil Jn (CNI). 20897 arrives at 18:34 and leaves at 18:35, 3 h 59 min and 286 km out of Howrah. 20898 calls here at 08:34.
• Purulia Jn (PRR). 20897 arrives at 19:23 and leaves at 19:25, 4 h 48 min and 340 km out, with 2 h 35 min to go. 20898 calls here at 07:43.
• Kotshila (KSX). 20897 arrives at 20:04 and leaves at 20:05, 5 h 29 min and 376 km out. 20898 calls here at 07:14.
• Muri (MURI). 20897 arrives at 20:25 and leaves at 20:27, 5 h 50 min and 400 km out, with 1 h 33 min and 62 km still to go to Ranchi. 20898 calls here at 06:50, 50 minutes after leaving Ranchi.

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

Vande Bharat Howrah to Tatanagar

Tatanagar has the longest halt on the route, five minutes, and this Vande Bharat Express works as a Kolkata–Jamshedpur train too. 20897 gets you from Howrah to Tatanagar in 3 h 10 min, arriving 17:45. Going the other way, 20898 leaves Tatanagar at 09:28 and reaches Howrah at 13:10, 3 h 42 min later. Between Tatanagar and Ranchi the train takes 3 h 23 min towards Howrah (06:00 to 09:23) and 4 h 10 min towards Ranchi (17:50 to 22:00), on the same 212 to 213 km stretch by way of Chandil, Purulia and Muri. The Ranchi-bound train is timed 47 minutes slower on this stretch, so allow for the longer time when planning an arrival at Ranchi. For the other Vande Bharat trains at Tatanagar, see Vande Bharat in Jharkhand.

Can you go and return the same day by Vande Bharat?

• From Ranchi: yes, but only just. 20898 reaches Howrah at 13:10 and 20897 leaves Howrah at 14:35, giving 1 h 25 min at Howrah. That is enough for a meeting near the station or a quick errand, not for a trip into central Kolkata and back. A late arrival eats into that time, so leave a buffer.
• From Howrah: not as a day trip. 20897 reaches Ranchi at 22:00 and 20898 leaves Ranchi at 06:00 the next morning, so you get a night in Ranchi with 8 hours between the two trains.
• From Tatanagar: 20898 reaches Howrah at 13:10 and 20897 brings you back to Tatanagar at 17:45, which is a usable afternoon pattern for a Jamshedpur traveller with a short appointment at Howrah.

Neither train runs on Tuesday, so pick another day for a return on the same Vande Bharat pair. The same-day return planner checks this for any pair of stations, and the running days checker confirms a date.

Howrah to Ranchi Vande Bharat ticket price

Fares are for one adult, General quota, with the meal, checked 12 November 2026. They are IRCTC fares as recorded by erail.in, and we kept a figure only where it agreed with erail’s own calculation from the official fare rules, so confirm on IRCTC before you pay. A dash means we could not confirm that fare: for Ranchi to Howrah in CC on 20898, check IRCTC. Fares from or to Kharagpur, Tatanagar, Purulia and the other intermediate stops are lower than the full Howrah–Ranchi fare.

The EC fare on the afternoon train from Howrah is ₹195 more than on the morning train from Ranchi, over the same 462 km. Since the base fare is set by distance and class, the gap most likely comes from the catering charge for a different meal, which IRCTC shows in the fare breakdown when you book. Choosing No Food lowers the price by the meal charge on either train. See the food guide for what is served.

The fare is built from a base fare (1.4 times Shatabdi in CC and 1.3 times in EC), reservation and superfast charges, GST and the optional meal. Source: PIB There is no dynamic fare, so the price does not rise as seats fill up. Source: PIB, February 2026 See how Vande Bharat ticket prices work or estimate a station pair with the fare calculator.

CC or EC to Ranchi? On 20897, EC costs ₹1,080 more than CC with the meal. For a trip of over seven hours, the wider EC seat is worth considering, and EC is also worth checking when CC is waitlisted.

Booking the Howrah Ranchi Vande Bharat train

Booking for 20897 and 20898 opens on IRCTC 60 days before the journey, at 08:00 IST, not counting the journey day. For a journey on Monday 11 January 2027, booking opens on Thursday 12 November 2026 at 08:00. Do not pick a Tuesday: the train does not run, and IRCTC will not show it. Find the opening date for your trip with the booking date calculator.

If CC is full, look at EC before taking a waiting-list ticket. A ticket still waitlisted when the chart is made is cancelled and refunded automatically, less ₹60 clerkage plus GST (₹63) per passenger.

Tatkal opens at 10:00 IST the day before the train leaves its first station: the day before at Howrah for 20897, and the day before at Ranchi for 20898. A confirmed Tatkal ticket gets no refund if you cancel. See the Tatkal guide.

The booking guide covers IRCTC step by step, including quotas, waiting lists and how to choose a seat.

Refund if you cancel a Howrah Ranchi Vande Bharat ticket

The refund bands are counted from the train’s scheduled departure at its first station, so a passenger boarding 20898 at Tatanagar still works from the 06:00 departure from Ranchi. For a confirmed ticket, per passenger, with 5% GST on the charge, using the 72, 24 and 8-hour bands the Ministry of Railways announced in March 2026:

• 20897 in CC (₹1,335): cancel more than 72 hours before and you get back about ₹1,146; 72 to 24 hours before, about ₹985; 24 to 8 hours before, about ₹634; less than 8 hours before, nothing.
• 20897 in EC (₹2,415): more than 72 hours before, about ₹2,163; 72 to 24 hours, about ₹1,781; 24 to 8 hours, about ₹1,147; less than 8 hours, nothing.
• 20898 in EC (₹2,220): more than 72 hours before, about ₹1,968; 72 to 24 hours, about ₹1,637; 24 to 8 hours, about ₹1,055; less than 8 hours, nothing.

IRCTC’s published refund rules still show the older 48, 12 and 4-hour cut-offs, so the IRCTC cancellation screen is final. The Vande Bharat cancellation charges guide explains both sets of bands, and the refund calculator and cancellation deadline tool give your own figure and clock times.

When is the chart prepared for the Howrah Ranchi Vande Bharat?

• 20898 leaves Ranchi at 06:00, so its first chart is prepared by 20:00 the evening before.
• 20897 leaves Howrah at 14:35, so its first chart is prepared by 04:35 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. For a same-day return from Ranchi, you know your outward seat the night before, and the return chart is ready before you leave Ranchi in the morning. The chart preparation time tool works it out for any date.

Howrah Ranchi Vande Bharat FAQs

What is the timing of the Howrah to Ranchi Vande Bharat? Train 20897 leaves Howrah Jn at 14:35 and reaches Ranchi at 22:00, a journey of 7 h 25 min.

What is the timing of the Ranchi to Howrah Vande Bharat? Train 20898 leaves Ranchi at 06:00 and reaches Howrah Jn at 13:10, a journey of 7 h 10 min.

Is there a Vande Bharat from Kolkata to Ranchi? Yes. The Kolkata to Ranchi Vande Bharat is 20897, which leaves from Howrah Jn at 14:35. It does not start from Sealdah or Shalimar.

On which day does the Howrah Ranchi Vande Bharat not run? Tuesday, in both directions.

What is the Howrah to Ranchi Vande Bharat ticket price? ₹1,335 in CC and ₹2,415 in EC with the meal on 20897. The return 20898 is ₹2,220 in EC; we could not confirm its CC fare, so check IRCTC (checked 12 November 2026).

What are the stops of the Howrah Ranchi Vande Bharat? Six intermediate stops: Kharagpur Jn (KGP), Tatanagar Jn (TATA), Chandil Jn (CNI), Purulia Jn (PRR), Kotshila (KSX) and Muri (MURI), in reverse order on 20898.

Does the Howrah Ranchi Vande Bharat stop at Tatanagar? Yes, for five minutes: 17:45 to 17:50 towards Ranchi, and 09:23 to 09:28 towards Howrah.

How long does the Vande Bharat take from Howrah to Tatanagar? 3 h 10 min on 20897, from 14:35 to 17:45. From Tatanagar to Howrah, 20898 takes 3 h 42 min, from 09:28 to 13:10.

Can I go from Ranchi to Howrah and back in one day? Yes, with 1 h 25 min at Howrah: 20898 arrives at 13:10 and 20897 leaves at 14:35, on any day except Tuesday.

How far is Howrah to Ranchi by Vande Bharat? 462 km, by way of Kharagpur, Tatanagar, Purulia and Muri.

When does booking open for the Howrah Ranchi 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 20897 and 20898? For 20898, which leaves at 06:00, by 20:00 the evening before. For 20897, which leaves at 14:35, by 04:35 on the day of travel.

When was the Ranchi Howrah Vande Bharat launched? It was flagged off on 24 September 2023, and regular service began on 27 September 2023.

Related routes

• All Vande Bharat trains from Howrah
• Vande Bharat trains in Jharkhand
• Howrah – Patna Vande Bharat
• Howrah – Puri Vande Bharat
• Full Vande Bharat route list

Sources

Timetable, stops and running days: erail 20898, ConfirmTkt 20897, ConfirmTkt 20898 and RailYatri 20897, 11 November 2026. Fares: erail.in’s IRCTC fare data, cross-checked against its fare calculation, 12 November 2026. Launch date and launch timings: ThePrint (PTI). Fare rules: PIB, PIB, February 2026. Always confirm on IRCTC or NTES before travel. Report a correction.