Indian Railways Extends Udaipur City Asarwa Vande Bharat Express to Surat

Indian Railways is expanding connectivity between Rajasthan and Gujarat by extending the existing Udaipur City-Asarwa Vande Bharat Express all the way to Surat. This major infrastructural upgrade will see the train renumbered as 26903/26904. The decision was formally approved by Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on September 5, 2026 acting upon a request submitted by MP Dr. Mannalal Rawat on June 13, 2025. Following official correspondence with the General Managers of Western Railway and North Western Railway on August 31, 2026 the Railway Board granted in-principle approval on September 1, 2026. This new service marks the sixth Vande Bharat train for Gujarat designed to boost trade and tourism while granting passengers in Surat better access to regional destinations. Key details of the extended Vande Bharat service include: Train 26903 will depart Surat at 6:10 a.m. and reach Udaipur City at 1:40 p.m.. Train 26904 will depart Udaipur City at 3:35 p.m. and arrive in Surat at 11:00 p.m.. The entire journey covering approximately 690 kilometers will take around 7 hours and 30 minutes. The train will operate six days a week while remaining suspended on Tuesdays.

Route and Operational Details

The extended route features strategic halts at Bharuch, Vadodara, Anand, Maninagar, Asarwa, Himmatnagar, Shamlaji Road, Dungarpur, and Zawar. Operational management and maintenance will be handled entirely by Western Railway. Primary maintenance of the rake will be carried out at Surat while essential water-filling services have been arranged at Vadodara and Asarwa stations.

Schedule Transition

Passengers should note that the current Udaipur City-Asarwa Vande Bharat Express service will be discontinued due to low occupancy with its final trip scheduled for September 28. Immediately following this the newly configured Surat-Udaipur City service is slated to commence operations on September 30. Commuters and railway enthusiasts can look forward to faster travel times and a more robust passenger experience across this key inter-state corridor.