What this Vande Bharat return trip planner does
Many Vande Bharat Express routes are timed like a shuttle: one train leaves a city early in the morning and its pair comes back the same afternoon or evening. That makes the Vande Bharat train one of the best ways in India to make a day trip by rail, for business, a temple visit or a family call, without a hotel night. This planner finds those combinations for you. Choose your home station and your destination, and it lists every same-day pair of Vande Bharat trains that gets you there and back, how many hours you get at the destination, and on which weekdays the plan works.
It uses the daytime Vande Bharat Express Chair Car trains in our checked timetables, including intermediate stops, so you can plan Mumbai to Surat or New Delhi to Kanpur as easily as Mumbai to Ahmedabad.
How to use the planner
- Choose your home station, where you start and finish the day.
- Choose your destination.
- Press Plan trip. Each row shows the outward train and times, the return train and times, the time you get at the destination, and the weekdays when both trains run.
- Book both legs on IRCTC as separate tickets, ideally when booking opens 60 days ahead.
How it works
The planner pairs every Vande Bharat going from your station to your destination with every one coming back the same day, and keeps the pairs that leave at least one hour at your destination. "Possible on" shows the weekdays when both trains run. Overnight Vande Bharat Sleeper trains are left out, because they cannot make a same-day trip.
Allow a buffer: if your outward train runs late, the time at your destination shrinks. Check live running status on NTES.
Best Vande Bharat day trips
Same-day returns the planner finds, sorted by time at the destination:
| Day trip | Go | Return | Time there | Not on |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Delhi → Kanpur Central | 22436 06:00 → 10:08 | 22435 18:32 → 23:00 | 8 h 24 min | Thursday |
| Mumbai Central → Surat | 20901 06:00 → 09:05 | 20902 17:08 → 20:35 | 8 h 3 min | Wednesday |
| Mumbai CSMT → Sainagar Shirdi | 22223 06:20 → 11:30 | 22224 17:45 → 22:50 | 6 h 15 min | Tuesday |
| Mysuru → Chennai Central | 20663 06:00 → 12:30 | 20664 17:00 → 23:30 | 4 h 30 min | Thursday |
| Ahmedabad → Mumbai Central | 22962 06:05 → 11:45 | 22961 15:45 → 21:15 | 4 h | Sunday |
| Solapur → Mumbai CSMT | 22226 06:05 → 12:35 | 22225 16:05 → 22:40 | 3 h 30 min | Wednesday, Thursday |
| Mumbai Central → Ahmedabad | 20901 06:00 → 11:35 | 20902 14:50 → 20:35 | 3 h 15 min | Wednesday |
| Howrah → Bhubaneswar | 22895 06:10 → 11:28 | 22896 14:39 → 20:30 | 3 h 11 min | Thursday |
| Howrah → Gaya | 22303 06:45 → 12:30 | 22304 15:15 → 21:10 | 2 h 45 min | Thursday |
| Chennai Egmore → Tirunelveli | 20627 05:00 → 12:38 | 20628 15:15 → 23:05 | 2 h 37 min | Wednesday |
| Coimbatore → Chennai Central | 20644 06:00 → 11:50 | 20643 14:15 → 20:15 | 2 h 25 min | Wednesday |
The Mumbai–Shirdi Vande Bharat Express is a natural pilgrimage day trip, with over six hours at Sainagar Shirdi. Mumbai to Surat on 20901 and 20902 gives a full eight-hour working day in Surat. And on New Delhi–Kanpur, the morning 22436 and evening 22435 leave more than eight hours in Kanpur.
Why Vande Bharat trains suit day trips
Vande Bharat Express Chair Car trains run as daytime intercity trains. Of the 46 Chair Car trains we track, 20 leave their first station before 07:00, the earliest at 05:00, and every one of them finishes its journey the same day, the latest arriving at 23:45. Most pairs work as an out-and-back: one train makes the morning run and its pair returns in the afternoon. That is exactly the pattern a day trip needs.
The trains are also quick over the 300 to 500 km range where a day trip makes sense. New Delhi to Kanpur Central is 441 km in 4 h 8 min, and Mumbai Central to Surat is 263 km in about three hours. For comparison of speeds across all Vande Bharat trains, see the speed ranking.
What a Vande Bharat day trip costs
A day trip is two separate Vande Bharat tickets. On full-length routes, each CC leg costs about ₹1,385 to ₹1,835 with a meal. For example, the Chennai Central → Coimbatore train 20643 costs ₹1,385 in CC with a meal on IRCTC; the Coimbatore → Chennai leg on 20644 covers the same 497 km, so expect a similar fare and check IRCTC. Trips to intermediate stations such as Surat or Kanpur cost less because Vande Bharat fares are based on distance. Use the fare calculator and the food cost calculator to price both legs.
Routes where a same-day return does not work
- Howrah → Puri: 22895 reaches Puri at 13:00 and 22896 leaves at 13:40, only 40 minutes later, so the planner shows no plan. For a Jagannath Temple visit, stay at least one night, or do a day trip to Bhubaneswar instead.
- Mumbai CSMT → Madgaon: 1 h 30 min between 22229 arriving at 13:10 and 22230 leaving at 14:40, so possible on paper but too short for most plans.
- New Delhi → Varanasi: 22436 arrives at 14:00 and 22435 leaves at 15:00, giving exactly one hour.
- Chennai Central → Coimbatore and Mumbai CSMT → Solapur: the Vande Bharat Express leaves these cities in the afternoon, so the day trip only works from the other end, from Coimbatore or Solapur.
Tips for a Vande Bharat day trip
- Check both trains' days off. On most routes both trains share one day off, but on Solapur–Mumbai 22226 is off on Thursday and 22225 on Wednesday, so that day trip works only on the other five days.
- Book both legs early. Morning Vande Bharat trains out of big cities fill first. General booking opens 60 days ahead at 08:00 IST.
- Consider No Food on one leg. If you eat at your destination, choosing No Food on the return can save ₹300 or more per person in CC on several routes.
- Know the refund rules. If the outward trip is cancelled, the return ticket is a separate booking and must be cancelled separately.
Same-day return FAQs
Can I do a day trip by Vande Bharat Express?
Yes, on many routes. Mumbai–Surat, Mumbai–Shirdi, New Delhi–Kanpur and Ahmedabad–Mumbai all allow four to eight hours at the destination.
Is Howrah to Puri and back possible in one day on Vande Bharat?
Not in practice. The return 22896 leaves Puri only 40 minutes after 22895 arrives.
Can I do Mumbai to Ahmedabad and back in a day on Vande Bharat?
Yes, with 20901 out at 06:00 and 20902 back from Ahmedabad at 14:50, giving 3 hours 15 minutes, every day except Wednesday.
Can I do a Mumbai to Shirdi day trip by Vande Bharat?
Yes. 22223 reaches Sainagar Shirdi at 11:30 and 22224 leaves at 17:45, every day except Tuesday.
Does the planner include the Vande Bharat Sleeper?
No. Sleeper trains run overnight, so they cannot be part of a same-day trip.
Do I need one ticket or two?
Two separate tickets, one for each Vande Bharat train.
Related tools and guides
Trains between stations · Running days checker · Fare calculator · Mumbai–Ahmedabad Vande Bharat · All routes
Sources: timetables and running days cross-checked on erail, ConfirmTkt and RailYatri, 11 November 2026. Meal charges from IRCTC fare breakdowns, 11 November 2026.