The Indian Railway Board has officially greenlit a new Vande Bharat Express, significantly enhancing connectivity between Surat in Gujarat and Udaipur City in Rajasthan. This modern semi-high-speed train service, numbered 26903/26904, is set to cut travel time between the two cities to approximately 7 hours and 30 minutes.
Operated by the Western Railway zone, the new Surat-Udaipur Vande Bharat Express will traverse a distance of about 690 kilometers, capable of reaching speeds up to 160 kmph. The service will run six days a week, with Tuesdays being the designated day off for maintenance.
Route and Key Stoppages
Passengers on the Surat-Udaipur City Vande Bharat Express will experience a journey with several commercial halts. These include Bharuch, Vadodara, Anand, Maninagar, Asarva, Himmatnagar, Shamlaji Road, Dungarpur, and Zawar. These stops are strategically placed to serve key towns and cities along the route, facilitating regional travel and business.
Operational logistics for the new service dictate that primary maintenance will be conducted at Surat, while Vadodara and Asarva are designated as watering stations to ensure smooth operations throughout the journey.
Replacing an Existing Service
The introduction of this new Surat-Udaipur Vande Bharat Express marks a significant upgrade, as it will replace the existing Udaipur City-Asarva Vande Bharat Express (train numbers 26963/26964). The previous service, which also operated six days a week, was initially launched in February 2026.
This strategic replacement aims to optimize rail services, offering a more direct and efficient connection between the industrial hub of Surat and the popular tourist destination of Udaipur City. The move underscores the Ministry of Railways' ongoing efforts to expand and modernize India's high-speed rail network.