Surat Finally Gets Its First Surat Udaipur Vande Bharat as Railways Approves 7.5-Hour Route
NEW DELHI: The Railway Board has approved a new Surat Udaipur Vande Bharat Express, giving Surat its first direct Vande Bharat service and creating a faster premium rail link between South Gujarat and Rajasthan.
The approval, issued in a Railway Board communication dated August 31, covers train numbers 26903 and 26904. The new service will run between Surat and Udaipur City six days a week, except Tuesdays, according to The Indian Express.
A major Indian Railways Update for Surat
The Surat Udaipur Vande Bharat will cover roughly 690 kilometres in 7 hours and 30 minutes. Train No. 26903 is scheduled to leave Surat at 6:10 a.m. and reach Udaipur City at 1:40 p.m.
The return service, Train No. 26904, will depart Udaipur at 3:35 p.m. and arrive in Surat at 11 p.m.
This Indian Railways Update is particularly significant for Surat, which will now have a Vande Bharat service originating and terminating in the city. The service will operate with an eight-car Vande Bharat rake, while Surat has been designated as its primary maintenance base.
Nine stops planned on the route
The new Surat Udaipur Vande Bharat will have nine scheduled commercial stops: Bharuch, Vadodara, Anand, Maninagar, Asarva, Himmatnagar, Shamlaji Road, Dungarpur and Zawar.
The route will pass through major parts of Gujarat before entering Rajasthan, improving direct connectivity between South Gujarat and the Udaipur region.
The new timetable could benefit tourists travelling to Udaipur as well as passengers making journeys for business and other purposes. However, the Railway Board approval itself does not specify a final commercial inauguration date, meaning reports suggesting a start before Navratri should not yet be treated as a confirmed launch date.
Existing Udaipur-Asarva service will end
The Indian Railways Update also brings an important change to an existing Vande Bharat service. The Railway Board has approved the discontinuation of train numbers 26963 and 26964, which currently operate between Udaipur City and Asarva.
That service was introduced in February 2026 and operates six days a week. The new arrangement effectively extends direct Vande Bharat connectivity beyond Asarva to Surat.
Passengers using the Surat Udaipur Vande Bharat route will therefore gain a direct service, while the existing Udaipur-Asarva operation will be discontinued under the approved plan.
What the new route means for connectivity
The Surat Udaipur Vande Bharat creates a new direct rail option between the two cities, linking Surat with central Gujarat and southern Rajasthan through a single premium service.
The route is expected to benefit travellers from South and Central Gujarat who currently need to use other services or connections for journeys towards Udaipur.
The train will be maintained by Western Railway, while Vadodara and Asarva have been designated as watering stations.
For passengers, the latest Indian Railways Update also confirms a scheduled 7.5-hour journey from Surat to Udaipur, with the return journey planned to take 7 hours and 25 minutes.
Railways expands the Vande Bharat network
The Surat Udaipur Vande Bharat approval is part of Indian Railways’ continuing expansion of premium semi-high-speed train services across new regional corridors.
With Surat becoming the train’s maintenance base, the city will gain a more prominent role in the operation of the new service. The eight-car configuration and six-day schedule have already been approved, but the final date for regular passenger operations has not yet been publicly specified in the Railway Board communication.
For travellers, the most important Indian Railways Update is clear: Surat is set to receive its first direct Vande Bharat connection to Udaipur, with a defined route, timetable and nine intermediate stops already approved.
