What this Vande Bharat booking date calculator does
This calculator tells you the exact day and time that reserved tickets for your Vande Bharat Express journey go on sale on IRCTC. Enter the date you travel, say whether your Vande Bharat train left its first station the same day or the day before, and it shows the general booking date at 08:00 IST, the Tatkal date for CC and EC, and whether booking is already open. It works for every Vande Bharat train, Chair Car or Sleeper, because the same advance reservation rule applies across Indian Railways.
Booking on the first day matters more on Vande Bharat trains than on most other trains. Popular Vande Bharat Express services such as Howrah–Puri, Mumbai–Goa and New Delhi–Varanasi build long waiting lists within days, and the Vande Bharat Sleeper is meant to sell confirmed tickets only, so once its berths are gone you may have nothing to fall back on.
How to use the calculator
- Pick your journey date. This is the day you get on the train.
- Choose the first-station option. For daytime Vande Bharat Chair Car trains, leave it on "Same day I board". Choose "1 day before I board" only if you join an overnight Vande Bharat Sleeper after midnight, when the train left its first station the previous evening.
- Press "Find booking date". The result shows the date booking opens at 08:00 IST and the Tatkal date at 10:00 IST.
- Book on IRCTC as soon as the window opens, using the link in the result.
The rule: 60 days before, at 08:00 IST
Reserved tickets for Vande Bharat trains open 60 days before the journey at 08:00 IST, and the journey day itself is not counted. This is the advance reservation period (ARP) set by the Railway Board at 60 days from 1 November 2024 and applied by IRCTC for all reserved trains. There is no separate, longer or shorter booking window for Vande Bharat Express.
The date is always counted from the day the train leaves its first station, not the station where you board. On a daytime Vande Bharat Chair Car, which starts and finishes on the same day, this is simply your travel date. It only makes a difference on overnight Vande Bharat Sleeper trains.
Worked examples
| Journey date | General booking opens | Tatkal (CC, EC) |
|---|---|---|
| Sun, 10 Jan 2027 | Wed, 11 Nov 2026, 08:00 | Sat, 9 Jan 2027, 10:00 |
| Fri, 25 Dec 2026 | Mon, 26 Oct 2026, 08:00 | Thu, 24 Dec 2026, 10:00 |
| Thu, 31 Dec 2026 | Sun, 1 Nov 2026, 08:00 | Wed, 30 Dec 2026, 10:00 |
| Fri, 1 Jan 2027 | Mon, 2 Nov 2026, 08:00 | Thu, 31 Dec 2026, 10:00 |
Check the running day too. A Christmas Day trip on the Mumbai–Goa Vande Bharat Express is not possible on 22229, because 22229 and 22230 do not run on Fridays and 25 December 2026 is a Friday. The New Delhi–Varanasi Vande Bharat train 22436 does not run on Thursdays, so 31 December 2026 is not available on that train either, though the second pair, 22416, does run that day. Use the running days checker before you set an alarm for 08:00.
Vande Bharat Sleeper: count from the first station
On overnight Vande Bharat Sleeper trains, many passengers board after midnight. Take the Mumbai–Bengaluru Sleeper 27651, which leaves Mumbai CSMT (CSMT) at 20:10 and reaches Solapur Jn (SUR) at 03:00 the next morning. If you board at Solapur in the early hours of Saturday, 16 January 2027, the train left Mumbai CSMT on Friday, 15 January 2027. Booking for your berth therefore opened on Monday, 16 November 2026 at 08:00, sixty days before the Friday, not the Saturday. The same applies to the New Delhi–Varanasi Sleeper 27422, which leaves New Delhi (NDLS) at 21:40 and reaches Kanpur Central (CNB) at 02:45.
The Vande Bharat Sleeper has no Tatkal quota, so the Tatkal line in the result applies only to Chair Car trains. According to Railway Board Commercial Circular 03/2026, all Sleeper berths are released on the first day of the advance reservation period, and the Sleeper sells confirmed tickets only, with no RAC. (On 11 November 2026 IRCTC nevertheless showed waiting-list numbers on 27422, so check IRCTC for your date.) The first morning is your best chance.
Why booking early matters on Vande Bharat trains
When we checked IRCTC on 11 November 2026, Vande Bharat trains only two to four days away already had long CC waiting lists: WL 53 to 87 on Howrah–Puri (22895), WL 111 to 156 on Mumbai–Goa (22229), WL 99 to 127 on Mumbai–Ahmedabad (22961) and WL 49 to 87 on New Delhi–Varanasi (22436). EC waiting lists were much shorter on every one of these Vande Bharat Express trains.
Booking early does not cost more. The Ministry of Railways has said there is no plan to bring dynamic fares to Vande Bharat trains, and IRCTC showed a dynamic fare of ₹0 on every Vande Bharat train we checked. The fare you see on day one is the fare you pay; only the number of seats left changes.
Tips for booking at 08:00
- Log in to IRCTC a few minutes early and save your passengers in the master list, with names exactly as on their photo ID.
- Search your actual stations. If you board at Thane (TNA) or Panvel (PNVL) on the Mumbai–Goa Vande Bharat, or at Borivali (BVI) on the Mumbai–Ahmedabad Vande Bharat, search from that station.
- Check both trains on two-train routes. New Delhi–Varanasi has 22436 at 06:00 and 22416 at 15:00; Mumbai–Ahmedabad has 20901 at 06:00 and 22961 at 15:45.
- Try EC if CC fills. EC costs about 1.8 to 1.9 times the CC fare but usually has a much shorter waiting list.
Edge cases
- Journey less than 60 days away: booking is already open, and the result says so.
- Train does not run that day: the calculator still shows the date, so check the running day separately.
- Times are Indian Standard Time. If you book from abroad, convert 08:00 IST to your local time.
- Missed the first day? Tatkal opens at 10:00 IST the day before the train leaves its first station, for CC and EC only.
Vande Bharat booking date FAQs
When does Vande Bharat train booking start?
60 days before the journey, at 08:00 IST, not counting the journey day. For a journey on 10 January 2027, Vande Bharat booking opens on 11 November 2026.
How many days before can I book a Vande Bharat Express ticket?
Up to 60 days before the date the train leaves its first station, the same advance reservation period as other reserved trains on Indian Railways.
What time does Vande Bharat booking open on IRCTC?
08:00 IST for general booking. Tatkal for CC and EC opens at 10:00 IST one day before the journey.
When does Vande Bharat Sleeper booking start?
Also 60 days before, at 08:00 IST, counted from the day the Sleeper leaves its first station. All berths are released on that first day, and there is no Tatkal or waiting list.
What is the Mumbai to Goa Vande Bharat booking start date?
It depends on your travel date: 60 days before it, at 08:00 IST. Remember that the Mumbai–Goa Vande Bharat Express (22229/22230) does not run on Fridays.
Is the Vande Bharat ticket price cheaper if I book early?
No, and it is not costlier later either. Vande Bharat trains have no dynamic fare, so the price stays the same until the train is full.
When is Vande Bharat Tatkal booking?
At 10:00 IST one day before the train leaves its first station, for CC and EC. See the Tatkal booking time tool.
Related tools and guides
Vande Bharat Tatkal booking time · Running days checker · Fare calculator · How to book a Vande Bharat ticket · Vande Bharat waiting list guide
Sources: Railway Board advance reservation period of 60 days (from 1 November 2024), as applied by IRCTC; Railway Board Commercial Circular 03/2026 for Vande Bharat Sleeper booking rules; Ministry of Railways via PIB (11 February 2026) on dynamic fares; waiting lists and fares from IRCTC, 11 November 2026. Checked November 2026.