What the Vande Bharat fare calculator does
This calculator shows what a Vande Bharat Express Chair Car ticket really costs for your group. Choose a Vande Bharat train, CC or EC, the number of passengers and whether you want a meal, and it shows the total, the price per passenger and IRCTC's full fare breakdown: base fare, reservation charge, superfast charge, GST and catering. Every figure comes from IRCTC's own fare enquiry, not from a third-party fare chart. When we checked third-party sites, their Vande Bharat fares disagreed with each other by up to double, so we took the numbers straight from IRCTC.
How to use the calculator
- Choose your Vande Bharat train. The calculator covers the most popular Vande Bharat trains, with fares for the full route in the direction shown.
- Pick the class: CC (AC Chair Car) or EC (Executive Chair Car).
- Enter the number of passengers, from 1 to 6.
- Choose "With meal" or "No food". The total updates instantly, and the breakdown shows the catering line as ₹0 when you choose No Food.
How a Vande Bharat fare is built
A Vande Bharat Chair Car fare has five parts. IRCTC's breakdown for Howrah to Puri on 22895 in CC shows them clearly:
| Part | CC | EC |
|---|---|---|
| Base fare | ₹983 | ₹2,005 |
| Reservation charge | ₹40 | ₹60 |
| Superfast charge | ₹45 | ₹75 |
| GST | ₹54 | ₹107 |
| Catering (meal, GST included) | ₹363 | ₹418 |
| Dynamic fare | ₹0 | ₹0 |
| Total | ₹1,485 | ₹2,665 |
The base fare depends on distance and class. The reservation charge is ₹40 in CC and ₹60 in EC, and the superfast charge is ₹45 in CC and ₹75 in EC, on every Vande Bharat train we checked. GST works out to about 5% of the fare before the meal. The catering charge is added only if you choose a meal. The dynamic fare line is always ₹0: the Ministry of Railways has said there is no plan to bring dynamic fares to Vande Bharat trains.
Vande Bharat fares on popular routes
| Train | Route | CC with meal | CC no food | EC with meal | EC no food |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 22895 | Howrah – Puri, 502 km | ₹1,485 | ₹1,122 | ₹2,665 | ₹2,247 |
| 22229 | Mumbai CSMT – Madgaon, 765 km | ₹1,625 | ₹1,469 | ₹3,145 | ₹2,956 |
| 22961 | Mumbai Central – Ahmedabad, 491 km | ₹1,385 | ₹1,078 | ₹2,505 | ₹2,137 |
| 22301 | Howrah – New Jalpaiguri, 561 km | ₹1,585 | ₹1,207 | ₹2,845 | ₹2,412 |
| 22436 | New Delhi – Varanasi, 771 km | ₹1,835 | ₹1,472 | ₹3,385 | ₹2,967 |
| 22416 | New Delhi – Varanasi, 760 km | ₹1,770 | ₹1,463 | ₹3,300 | ₹2,932 |
| 20643 | Chennai Central – Coimbatore, 497 km | ₹1,385 | ₹1,078 | ₹2,505 | ₹2,137 |
Across these Vande Bharat trains, a full-length CC ticket costs ₹1,385 to ₹1,835 with a meal, and EC costs ₹2,505 to ₹3,385. EC is about 1.8 to 1.9 times the CC fare on the same train.
Worked examples for groups
- Family of four, New Delhi to Varanasi, 22436, CC with meals: 4 × ₹1,835 = ₹7,340. With No Food it is 4 × ₹1,472 = ₹5,888, a saving of ₹1,452.
- Couple, Mumbai CSMT to Madgaon, 22229, EC with No Food: 2 × ₹2,956 = ₹5,912.
- Group of six, Chennai Central to Coimbatore, 20643, CC with No Food: 6 × ₹1,078 = ₹6,468.
Why Vande Bharat costs more than other trains
The Ministry of Railways sets the Vande Bharat Express base fare at about 1.4 times the Shatabdi base fare in CC and 1.3 times in EC. IRCTC's fares on Howrah–Puri bear this out: the base fare was ₹983 on the Vande Bharat train against ₹708 on Shatabdi 12277. But Shatabdi added a ₹284 dynamic fare on the day we checked, so its total was ₹1,410 against ₹1,485 for the Vande Bharat Express, which is also over an hour faster. Read Vande Bharat vs Shatabdi.
Indian Railways also raised AC fares, including Vande Bharat, by 2 paise per km from 1 July 2025 and by another 2 paise per km for tickets booked from 26 December 2025.
Edge cases
- Shorter journeys cost less. The calculator shows full-route fares. Boarding at an intermediate station, such as Thane on the Mumbai–Goa Vande Bharat or Kanpur Central on the Varanasi Vande Bharat, costs less; IRCTC shows the exact fare for your station pair.
- Tatkal adds a charge: about ₹225 in CC and ₹500 in EC on full-length trips, plus GST. Use the Tatkal charge calculator.
- No concessions. There is no fare concession on Vande Bharat trains, according to the Ministry of Railways.
- Sleeper trains are priced differently, per kilometre with food included. Use the Vande Bharat Sleeper fare calculator.
- Fares change with official revisions, so always confirm on IRCTC before paying.
EC upgrade cost on each Vande Bharat Express
If you are deciding between classes, the extra cost of EC over CC on the full route, with meals, is ₹1,180 on Howrah–Puri (22895), ₹1,520 on Mumbai–Goa (22229), ₹1,120 on Mumbai–Ahmedabad (22961) and Chennai–Coimbatore (20643), ₹1,260 on Howrah–New Jalpaiguri (22301) and ₹1,550 on New Delhi–Varanasi (22436). Most of that gap is the base fare: EC's base fare is roughly double the CC base fare on the same Vande Bharat train, and the reservation and superfast charges are also higher in EC. See CC vs EC for what the extra money buys.
Chair Car or Sleeper on the same route?
On New Delhi–Varanasi you can choose between the daytime Vande Bharat Express and the overnight Vande Bharat Sleeper. A CC seat on 22436 costs ₹1,835 with a meal, while a 3A berth on the Sleeper 27422 costs ₹1,915 with food included, only ₹80 more, and you travel overnight instead of spending the day on the train. The Sleeper has stricter refund rules and no Tatkal, so weigh flexibility as well as price.
Vande Bharat fare FAQs
What is the Vande Bharat train ticket price?
For a full journey of about 490 to 770 km, ₹1,385 to ₹1,835 in CC and ₹2,505 to ₹3,385 in EC, including a meal, on the trains we checked on IRCTC.
What is the Howrah to Puri Vande Bharat ticket price?
₹1,485 in CC and ₹2,665 in EC with a meal, or ₹1,122 and ₹2,247 with No Food.
What is the Mumbai to Goa Vande Bharat ticket price?
₹1,625 in CC and ₹3,145 in EC with a meal on 22229, from Mumbai CSMT to Madgaon.
Is food included in the Vande Bharat Express ticket price?
Only if you choose a meal while booking. The meal costs ₹156 to ₹433 per person depending on the train and class.
Does the Vande Bharat fare change closer to the date?
No. Vande Bharat trains have no dynamic fare, so the price stays the same; only seat availability changes.
How much more does EC cost than CC?
About 1.8 to 1.9 times as much. On Howrah–Puri, EC is ₹1,180 more than CC with a meal.
What is the Vande Bharat Express fare per km?
The CC base fare is about ₹1.70 to ₹2.00 per km on full-length trips, before other charges.
Related tools and guides
Vande Bharat ticket price guide · Food cost calculator · CC vs EC · Refund calculator
Sources: IRCTC fare enquiry, 11 November 2026 (one adult, General quota, full route); Ministry of Railways fare structure via PIB; Ministry of Railways via PIB (11 February 2026) on dynamic fares and concessions; PIB fare revisions of 30 June 2025 and 25 December 2025. Checked November 2026.