Secunderabad – Tirupati Vande Bharat Express (20701 / 20702)

Timetable last checked 12 November 2026.

Train summary

Hyderabad to Tirupati Vande Bharat: which station? The train starts at Secunderabad Jn (SC). It does not call at Hyderabad Deccan (Nampally) or Kacheguda, so travellers from anywhere in Hyderabad need to get to Secunderabad for the 06:10 departure. Nalgonda (NLDA) is the next boarding point, 1 h 14 min down the line.

Which Tirupati station? The train ends at Tirupati (TPTY), the main station in the town, not at Renigunta. From here buses run up the hill to Tirumala; see getting from Tirupati station to Tirumala below.

20701 Secunderabad to Tirupati timetable

20702 Tirupati to Secunderabad timetable

All stops are on the same day. For live running status, use NTES with train number 20701 or 20702. Full train pages: 20701 and 20702.

Secunderabad Tirupati Vande Bharat Express boarding guide: every stop

You can board or leave the Vande Bharat Express at any of the five intermediate stations, and IRCTC sells tickets between any two of them. The train does not stop at Vijayawada, Gudur or Renigunta, so passengers from those towns need a different train or a connection.

• Nalgonda (NLDA). 20701 arrives at 07:24 and leaves at 07:25, 1 h 14 min and 110 km after Secunderabad, with 7 h 10 min and 551 km still to go to Tirupati. In the other direction, 20702 calls here at 21:49.
• Miryalaguda (MRGA). 20701 arrives at 07:45 and leaves at 07:46, 1 h 35 min and 148 km out, with 513 km to go. 20702 calls at 21:16. This is the shortest gap on the route: only 20 minutes and 38 km separate it from Nalgonda.
• Guntur Jn (GNT). 20701 arrives at 09:39 and leaves at 09:40, 3 h 29 min and 282 km out, with 379 km to go. 20702 halts here for five minutes, 19:40 to 19:45, the longest stop on the return run. Of this train’s stops, Guntur is the closest to Vijayawada.
• Ongole (OGL). 20701 arrives at 11:03 and leaves at 11:05, 4 h 53 min and 414 km out, with 247 km to go. 20702 calls at 17:43.
• Nellore (NLR). 20701 arrives at 12:19 and leaves at 12:20, 6 h 9 min and 530 km out, with 2 h 15 min and 131 km to go. 20702 calls at 16:34, 1 h 19 min after leaving Tirupati.

Halts are one or two minutes at most stations, so be at the right spot on the platform before the train pulls in. To board at an intermediate station, search from that station on IRCTC, or change the boarding point of an existing e-ticket before the chart is made. See the ticket change guide.

Getting from Tirupati station to Tirumala

The Sri Venkateswara temple is at Tirumala, on the hills above Tirupati town, not next to the station. After 20701 arrives at 14:35 you still have a road journey or a climb ahead. Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD), which runs the temple, lists these options.

APSRTC bus from the railway station. Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation (APSRTC) runs regular buses from Tirupati railway station to Tirumala, at a frequency set by pilgrim arrivals. TTD’s pages show fares, but two of its own pages give different amounts, so check the fare at the counter. Source: TTD

Taxi or your own vehicle. The up ghat road to Tirumala is about 17.8 km, and the down road about 18 km. The ghat roads are normally open from 03:00 to midnight. Taxis and maxi cabs with up to 12 seats are allowed, and vehicles pay a toll at the Sapthagiri toll plaza. Source: TTD

Free bus to the footpaths. If you plan to walk up, APSRTC runs free buses from Tirupati railway station to Alipiri every 30 minutes, and free buses also run from the station to Srivari Mettu. Source: TTD

Walking up. The Alipiri footpath is about 7.8 km and takes roughly 3 hours. The Srivari Mettu path is about 2.1 km and takes roughly 1.5 hours. You can leave luggage at the foot of the hill and collect it at Tirumala: at the GNC counter if you climbed from Alipiri, or the MBC counter if you climbed from Srivari Mettu. Source: TTD

Getting around Tirumala. Free TTD buses, called Dharma Radhams, run every 3 minutes in set time slots past the cottages, choultries and temples on the hill. Source: TTD

Planning darshan around the Vande Bharat train times

The timetable shapes the trip more than anything else. 20701 reaches Tirupati at 14:35 and 20702 leaves at 15:15, only 40 minutes later. That is too short for the road up to Tirumala and back, let alone darshan, so a same-day return from Secunderabad is not a realistic pilgrim plan. Most travellers stay at least one night.

A typical two-day plan. Take 20701 on day one and reach Tirupati at 14:35. Go up to Tirumala in the afternoon, or climb a footpath if you have the time and energy: on the Alipiri path, three hours of walking from about 15:30 puts you at the top around 18:30. Stay the night, have darshan the next morning, and come down in time for 20702 at 15:15 on day two. You reach Secunderabad at 23:42 the same night.

Watch the Tuesday gap. Neither train runs on Tuesday. If you go up on a Monday and want to come back the next day, there is no 20702 on Tuesday; the next one leaves on Wednesday. In the other direction, you cannot start the trip on a Tuesday. The running days checker shows the days for any date.

Book darshan before the train, not after. TTD sells darshan and accommodation slots on its official booking portal, and popular dates fill early. Pick a darshan slot that leaves room for a late train: a slot on the evening you arrive is risky, because a delay of an hour or two still leaves you on the ghat road while your slot passes. A slot the next morning is the safer choice. Check the reporting time and ID rules printed on your TTD ticket, as TTD sets them and they can change.

Leave margin on the way down. 20702 leaves Tirupati at 15:15, and the road down is about 18 km before you reach the station in town. Plan to be at Tirupati station with time to spare, especially on festival days and weekends when traffic on the hill is heavy.

Secunderabad Tirupati Vande Bharat ticket price

Fares are for one adult, General quota, with the meal. They come from erail.in’s record of IRCTC fares, kept only where that figure matched erail’s own calculation from the fare rules; the dash for 20701 CC is a fare where the two did not match. Checked 12 November 2026; confirm on IRCTC before you pay. Choosing No Food lowers the price by the meal charge.

We could not confirm the CC fare for 20701 (Secunderabad to Tirupati), so check it on IRCTC; for the same 661 km the 20702 CC fare, ₹1,650, is a close guide, though the meal charge can differ by direction.

How the price is built:

• Base fare. Set by distance and class. The full trip is 661 km, so a ticket from Secunderabad to Tirupati costs more than one from Guntur or Nellore. EC has a much higher base fare than CC.
• Reservation charge and superfast charge. Fixed amounts per passenger, which differ between CC and EC.
• GST. Added on top of the fare, and shown as its own line in IRCTC’s fare breakdown.
• Catering. The meal is added by default, and its charge depends on the train and class. Choosing No Food while booking removes the catering charge from the total. See Vande Bharat food for what is served.

Vande Bharat has no dynamic fare, so the price does not rise as seats fill up. For the full breakdown and fares on other routes, see how Vande Bharat ticket prices work, and estimate any distance with the Vande Bharat fare calculator.

Coaches and seats on the Vande Bharat Express to Tirupati

From 26 November 2025, the Secunderabad–Tirupati Vande Bharat runs with 20 coaches instead of 16. South Central Railway’s Vijayawada Division added four Chair Car coaches, taking CC from 14 to 18 coaches, while EC stays at two coaches. Source: Mathrubhumi

That makes CC by far the larger class, so CC seats are more plentiful, while EC’s two coaches can sell out first on busy weekends. CC has 3+2 seating; EC has wider 2+2 seats that can rotate. Compare them in CC vs EC, or see the seat guide for window seats and coach layouts.

Booking the Secunderabad Tirupati Vande Bharat train

Booking for 20701 and 20702 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. Find the date for your trip with the booking date calculator, and read the booking guide for step-by-step help.

Tatkal for both trains opens at 10:00 IST the day before the train leaves its first station. On a pilgrim route with fixed darshan slots, Tatkal is a backup rather than a plan, because you need to know the train is confirmed before you book a darshan slot. See the Tatkal guide.

Cancellation and chart times for 20701 and 20702

If your darshan date moves, cancel the train ticket early: the refund falls in steps as departure gets closer, and in the last few hours before departure nothing comes back. The bands are counted from the train’s scheduled departure at its first station, which is 06:10 at Secunderabad for 20701 and 15:15 at Tirupati for 20702, even if you board at Guntur or Nellore. The Vande Bharat cancellation charges guide gives the flat charges, the percentage bands and the waiting-list rules; the refund calculator works out your own figure.

• 20701 leaves Secunderabad at 06:10, so its first chart is prepared by 20:00 the evening before.
• 20702 leaves Tirupati at 15:15, so its first chart is prepared by 05:15 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. The chart preparation time tool works it out for any date.

About the train

Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagged off the Secunderabad–Tirupati Vande Bharat Express from Secunderabad station on 8 April 2023. Source: Deccan Chronicle The train belongs to South Central Railway, whose Vijayawada Division announced the 2025 coach increase. It links Telangana’s twin cities with the Tirupati temple town through Andhra Pradesh, covering 661 km at an average of about 78 km/h on the current timetable.

FAQ

What is the timing of the Secunderabad to Tirupati Vande Bharat? Train 20701 leaves Secunderabad Jn at 06:10 and reaches Tirupati at 14:35, a journey of 8 hours 25 minutes.

What is the timing of the Tirupati to Secunderabad Vande Bharat? Train 20702 leaves Tirupati at 15:15 and reaches Secunderabad Jn at 23:42 the same night.

On which day does the Secunderabad Tirupati Vande Bharat not run? Tuesday, in both directions. It runs on the other six days of the week.

Does the Hyderabad to Tirupati Vande Bharat start from Hyderabad station? No. It starts at Secunderabad Jn (SC). It does not stop at Hyderabad Deccan (Nampally) or Kacheguda.

What are the stops of the Secunderabad Tirupati Vande Bharat Express? Five intermediate stops: Nalgonda (NLDA), Miryalaguda (MRGA), Guntur Jn (GNT), Ongole (OGL) and Nellore (NLR).

Does the Secunderabad Tirupati Vande Bharat stop at Vijayawada? No. The nearest stop for Vijayawada is Guntur Jn, at 09:39 towards Tirupati and 19:40 towards Secunderabad.

What is the Secunderabad Tirupati Vande Bharat ticket price? The fare depends on your class, distance and meal choice, and IRCTC shows the exact total before payment. With the meal, 20702 Tirupati to Secunderabad is ₹1,650 in CC and ₹3,055 in EC, and 20701 is ₹3,105 in EC (checked 12 November 2026).

Can I go to Tirupati and come back the same day by Vande Bharat? Not realistically. 20701 arrives at 14:35 and 20702 leaves at 15:15, only 40 minutes later, which is not enough to reach Tirumala and return.

How do I get from Tirupati station to Tirumala? Take an APSRTC bus from the railway station, a taxi up the ghat road, or the free bus to Alipiri or Srivari Mettu if you want to walk up. The ghat roads are normally open from 03:00 to midnight.

How many coaches does the Secunderabad Tirupati Vande Bharat have? 20 coaches since 26 November 2025: 18 Chair Car coaches and 2 Executive Chair Car coaches.

When is the chart prepared for 20701 and 20702? For 20701, by 20:00 the evening before. For 20702, by 05:15 on the day of travel.

When does booking open for the Secunderabad Tirupati Vande Bharat Express? 60 days before the journey, at 08:00 IST on IRCTC. Tatkal opens at 10:00 IST the day before.

Related routes

• Vande Bharat in Telangana
• Secunderabad – Visakhapatnam Vande Bharat
• Chennai – Coimbatore Vande Bharat
• Full Vande Bharat route list

Sources

Timetable and stops: erail 20701, erail 20702, cross-checked with ConfirmTkt, 11 November 2026. Tirumala transport: TTD, travelling from Tirupati to Tirumala and TTD transport facilities. Coaches: Mathrubhumi. Launch: Deccan Chronicle. Always confirm on IRCTC or NTES before travel. Report a correction.