Rourkela – Puri Vande Bharat Express (20835 / 20836)

Timetable last checked 12 November 2026 (data from 11 November 2026). Fares checked 13 November 2026.

Train summary

The only Vande Bharat that stays inside Odisha. Every one of its 11 stations is in the state. It links Rourkela and the western towns of Jharsuguda and Sambalpur with the state capital, Bhubaneswar, and the temple town of Puri. For the other Vande Bharat trains in the state, see the Odisha Vande Bharat list.

The timetable runs the “wrong” way for Rourkela. 20836 starts from Puri before dawn and 20835 goes back from Rourkela in the afternoon. So the morning train is the one towards Rourkela, and there is no morning Vande Bharat from Rourkela or Sambalpur to Bhubaneswar.

What kind of train this is

The Rourkela to Puri 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 layouts and window seats.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagged off the Rourkela–Bhubaneswar–Puri Vande Bharat on Sunday 24 September 2023 by video conferencing, as one of nine Vande Bharat trains launched that day, and it was reported then as around three hours faster than existing trains on the route. Source: Business Today It was Odisha’s second Vande Bharat Express, after Howrah–Puri. Source: Deccan Herald

Over the full run, 20835 averages about 66 km/h and 20836 about 65 km/h, start to finish including stops.

20835 Rourkela to Puri timetable

20836 Puri to Rourkela timetable

All stops are on the same day. For live running status, use NTES with train number 20835 or 20836.

The timings have moved since launch. A trial-run schedule reported in early September 2023, before the launch, had the Rourkela train leaving at 14:10 and gave Saturday, not Tuesday, as the day off. Source: Sambad English Older articles and videos may still show those times, so go by the tables above and check NTES or IRCTC for your date.

Rourkela Puri 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 20835, Rourkela → Puri, and its return 20836 (times for 20835 first):

• Jharsuguda Jn (JSG). 20835 arrives at 15:18 and leaves at 15:20, 1 h 18 min and 102 km after Rourkela, with 6 h 20 min and 403 km still to go to Puri. In the other direction, 20836 calls here at 11:13.
• Sambalpur City (SBPY). 20835 arrives at 15:50 and leaves at 15:55, 1 h 50 min and 147 km after Rourkela, with 5 h 45 min to go. 20836 calls here at 10:05. This is the Sambalpur Vande Bharat stop: the train uses Sambalpur City, not Sambalpur Jn, so check the station code SBPY when you book.
• Rairakhol (RAIR). 20835 arrives at 16:40 and leaves at 16:42, 2 h 40 min and 212 km out of Rourkela. 20836 calls here at 09:15.
• Angul (ANGL). 20835 arrives at 17:45 and leaves at 17:47, 3 h 45 min and 297 km out, with 3 h 53 min to go. 20836 calls here at 08:00.
• Talcher Road (TLHD). 20835 arrives at 18:13 and leaves at 18:15, 309 km out. 20836 calls here at 07:50 and leaves at 07:52, eight minutes before it reaches Angul.
• Dhenkanal (DNKL). 20835 arrives at 18:45 and leaves at 18:47, 4 h 45 min and 357 km out, with 2 h 53 min to go. 20836 calls here at 07:14.
• Cuttack (CTC). 20835 arrives at 20:00 and leaves at 20:02, 6 h and 415 km out, with 1 h 38 min to go. 20836 calls here at 06:30.
• Bhubaneswar (BBS). 20835 arrives at 20:30 and leaves at 20:35, 6 h 30 min and 442 km out, with 1 h 5 min and 63 km still to go to Puri. 20836 calls here at 06:00 and leaves at 06:05, the first Vande Bharat of the day out of the capital towards western Odisha.
• Khurda Road Jn (KUR). 20835 arrives at 20:55 and leaves at 20:57, 44 km short of Puri. 20836 calls here at 05:38.

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 Bhubaneswar to Rourkela and Sambalpur

Most passengers on this route do not travel end to end. Bhubaneswar to Rourkela on 20836 takes 6 h 40 min (06:05 to 12:45), and Bhubaneswar to Sambalpur City takes 4 h (06:05 to 10:05). Coming back, 20835 leaves Rourkela at 14:00 and Sambalpur City at 15:55, and reaches Bhubaneswar at 20:30. Cuttack passengers have the same pattern, about half an hour later in the morning and earlier in the evening.

Can you go and return the same day?

The train pair suits day trips that start at the Puri and Bhubaneswar end, not at Rourkela.

• Bhubaneswar → Sambalpur City: 20836 arrives at 10:05 and 20835 leaves at 15:55, giving 5 h 50 min in Sambalpur, back in Bhubaneswar at 20:30.
• Cuttack → Angul: 20836 arrives at 08:00 and 20835 leaves at 17:47, giving 9 h 47 min in Angul, back in Cuttack at 20:00.
• Puri → Bhubaneswar: 20836 arrives at 06:00 and 20835 leaves Bhubaneswar at 20:35, back in Puri at 21:40.
• Puri → Rourkela: possible on paper, with only 1 h 15 min at Rourkela between 12:45 and 14:00, which is too short for a visit.
• From Rourkela, Jharsuguda or Sambalpur: a day trip to Bhubaneswar or Puri does not work, because 20835 arrives in the evening and 20836 leaves Puri at 05:00 the next morning. Plan a night in Puri or Bhubaneswar.

Both trains must run on the same day, and neither runs on Tuesday. The same-day return planner checks this for any pair of stations, and the running days checker confirms a date.

Connecting with the Howrah trains at Rourkela

Rourkela is also the end of the Howrah–Rourkela Vande Bharat. Train 20871 from Howrah reaches Rourkela at 12:05, and 20835 leaves for Puri at 14:00, a gap of 1 h 55 min. The other way, 20836 reaches Rourkela at 12:45 and 20872 leaves for Howrah at 13:30, only 45 minutes later. All four trains have Tuesday off. These are separate tickets, so a late first train does not protect your second booking. For the direct coastal route to Kolkata, see the Howrah – Puri Vande Bharat.

Rourkela to Puri Vande Bharat ticket price

Fares are for one adult, General quota, with the meal, checked 13 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. We could not confirm fares for shorter pairs such as Bhubaneswar to Sambalpur City or Rourkela to Bhubaneswar; check those on IRCTC. They are lower than the full Rourkela–Puri fare.

The afternoon train from Rourkela costs ₹165 more in CC and ₹195 more in EC than the morning train from Puri, over nearly the same distance. Since the base fare is set by distance and class, the gap most likely comes from the catering charge, which differs by the meal served at that time of day. IRCTC shows it 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? For a 7 h 40 min trip, EC on 20835 costs ₹1,185 more than CC, and on 20836 ₹1,155 more. CC is the usual choice; EC is worth checking when CC is waitlisted, or if you want more legroom for the full run.

Booking the Rourkela Puri Vande Bharat train

Booking for 20835 and 20836 opens on IRCTC 60 days before the journey, at 08:00 IST, not counting the journey day. For a journey on Wednesday 13 January 2027, booking opens on Saturday 14 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 Rourkela for 20835, and the day before at Puri for 20836. That is counted from the starting station even if you board at Sambalpur City or Bhubaneswar. 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 Rourkela Puri Vande Bharat ticket

The refund bands are counted from the train’s scheduled departure at its first station, so a passenger boarding 20836 at Bhubaneswar still works from the 05:00 departure from Puri. 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:

• 20835 in CC (₹1,430): cancel more than 72 hours before and you get back about ₹1,241; 72 to 24 hours before, about ₹1,055; 24 to 8 hours before, about ₹679; less than 8 hours before, nothing.
• 20835 in EC (₹2,615): more than 72 hours before, about ₹2,363; 72 to 24 hours, about ₹1,929; 24 to 8 hours, about ₹1,242; less than 8 hours, nothing.
• 20836 in CC (₹1,265): more than 72 hours before, about ₹1,076; 72 to 24 hours, about ₹933; 24 to 8 hours, about ₹601; less than 8 hours, nothing.
• 20836 in EC (₹2,420): more than 72 hours before, about ₹2,168; 72 to 24 hours, about ₹1,785; 24 to 8 hours, about ₹1,150; 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 Rourkela Puri Vande Bharat?

• 20835 leaves Rourkela at 14:00, inside the 05:01–14:00 band, so its first chart is prepared by 20:00 the evening before.
• 20836 leaves Puri at 05:00. That is just outside the 05:01–14:00 band, so its first chart is due 10 hours before departure, by 19:00 the evening before.

Either way, you know your coach and seat the evening before you travel. The chart preparation time tool works it out for any date.

Rourkela Puri Vande Bharat FAQs

What is the timing of the Rourkela to Puri Vande Bharat? Train 20835 leaves Rourkela at 14:00 and reaches Puri at 21:40, a journey of 7 h 40 min.

What is the timing of the Puri to Rourkela Vande Bharat? Train 20836 leaves Puri at 05:00 and reaches Rourkela at 12:45, a journey of 7 h 45 min.

On which day does the Rourkela Puri Vande Bharat not run? Tuesday, in both directions. Launch-era reports that say Saturday are out of date.

Does the Rourkela Puri Vande Bharat stop at Bhubaneswar? Yes. 20835 reaches Bhubaneswar (BBS) at 20:30, and 20836 leaves Bhubaneswar at 06:05 towards Rourkela.

What is the Sambalpur Vande Bharat timing? At Sambalpur City (SBPY), 20836 towards Rourkela arrives at 10:05, and 20835 towards Bhubaneswar and Puri arrives at 15:50.

What is the Rourkela to Puri Vande Bharat ticket price? ₹1,430 in CC and ₹2,615 in EC with the meal on 20835. The return 20836 is ₹1,265 in CC and ₹2,420 in EC (checked 13 November 2026; confirm on IRCTC).

How many stops does the Rourkela Puri Vande Bharat Express have? Nine intermediate stops: Jharsuguda Jn (JSG), Sambalpur City (SBPY), Rairakhol (RAIR), Angul (ANGL), Talcher Road (TLHD), Dhenkanal (DNKL), Cuttack (CTC), Bhubaneswar (BBS) and Khurda Road Jn (KUR), in reverse order on 20836.

Is there a Vande Bharat from Bhubaneswar to Rourkela? Yes. 20836 leaves Bhubaneswar at 06:05 and reaches Rourkela at 12:45. 20835 returns from Rourkela at 14:00 and reaches Bhubaneswar at 20:30.

Can I go from Bhubaneswar to Sambalpur and back in a day by Vande Bharat? Yes. 20836 arrives at Sambalpur City at 10:05 and 20835 leaves at 15:55, giving 5 h 50 min there, on any day except Tuesday.

When does booking open for the Rourkela Puri Vande Bharat Express? 60 days before the journey at 08:00 IST on IRCTC. For Wednesday 13 January 2027, it opens on Saturday 14 November 2026.

When is the chart prepared for 20835 and 20836? For 20835, which leaves at 14:00, by 20:00 the evening before. For 20836, which leaves at 05:00, by 19:00 the evening before.

When was the Rourkela Puri Vande Bharat launched? It was flagged off on 24 September 2023, one of nine Vande Bharat trains launched that day, and Odisha’s second after Howrah–Puri.

Related routes

• All Vande Bharat trains in Odisha
• Howrah – Puri Vande Bharat
• Full Vande Bharat route list

Sources

Timetable, stops and running days: erail 20835, erail 20836, cross-checked with ConfirmTkt 20835 and ConfirmTkt 20836, 11 November 2026. Fares: erail.in’s IRCTC fare data, cross-checked against its fare calculation, 13 November 2026. Launch: Business Today, Deccan Herald. Launch-era timetable: Sambad English. Fare rules: PIB, PIB, February 2026. Always confirm on IRCTC or NTES before travel. Report a correction.