The Vande Bharat Express has now been inaugurated on its new route which runs from Varanasi to Khajuraho via Chitrakoot, flagged off on 7 November 2025 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The service provides connectivity for several important cultural and pilgrimage destinations along its route. The inauguration represents an important step forward in upgrading India's spiritual & heritage tourism domain by bringing improvement to access to holy sites, while also establishing another chapter of modern rail connectivity for tourism purposes.
The Route & Connectivity Upgrade that Vande Bharat will Bring Along
- The Vande Bharat Express now operates on the Varanasi–Chitrakoot–Khajuraho circuit, establishing a connection between two states, UP and MP, with important spiritual and heritage credentials.
- The key stop points include places such as Vindhyachal, Prayagraj (Chheoki), Chitrakoot Dham, Banda and Mahoba.
- The train service runs six days a week, except for Thursdays, designated as the maintenance day. Ensuring both frequency and reliability for travellers exploring India’s spiritual and heritage corridor.
Leaving Substantial Impacts on Spiritual & Heritage Tourism
Revival of Spiritual Tourism
Varanasi is among the oldest cities in the world to still be inhabited and served as a major pilgrim destination in India. With the newly operational Vande Bharat service, pilgrimages across this sacred belt have become easier and more accessible. Pilgrims can now seamlessly include Chitrakoot, with its mythological narrative and Khajuraho with its famed temples in a single itinerary. This new route contributes majorly to a spiritual tourism circuit, and the better connectivity of this nature enhances travel convenience for both devotees and those in search of cultural experiences by bridging faith and heritage through modern connectivity.
Improvements to Heritage Tourism
Khajuraho, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is now more accessible than ever thanks to this new train link. Previously, its limited accessibility ruled Khajuraho is out of the itinerary for many travelers. The Vande Bharat train service is expected to resolve it big time.
Regional Economy & Duration of Visit
Engaged in tourism, stakeholders in the region are optimistic that visitors will now spend more time across multiple destinations, versus a one-stop, which will result in supporting local hospitality, transport and related business sectors.
Vande Bharat Strategic Importance
Reinforcing connectivity: The new Vande Bharat Express route reinforces connectivity in the Bundelkhand & Bagelkhand area, which has often been labelled as less developed by rail standards. Improved train services will provide targeted uplift to these regions.
- Modern way to travel: This initiative aligns with India’s overall strategy to update, improve and carry cultural heritage in a modernizing infrastructure context, with Vande Bharat redefining how pilgrimage and heritage tourism can coexist.
- Cutting down current travel time: Being efficient with time, Vande Bharat has significantly reduced travel time, providing a faster and more comfortable way to access these culturally rich parts of the country. Especially for destinations that were historically not as easy to access, making cultural travel in India more feasible.
- Decrowding major tourist hubs: Moreover, this initiative is also helping in de-crowding busy tourism destinations by directing foot traffic to connected yet separate areas.
Marking a Milestone in India’s Tourism and Transport Landscape
The commencement of the Vande Bharat Express service linking Varanasi, Chitrakoot and Khajuraho represents a major stepping stone in India's tourism and transportation story. By integrating modern rail infrastructure with the diverse spiritual and heritage tapestry of these locations, it presents the opportunity for a great enhancement of pilgrimage travel and heritage travel experiences. With advanced accessibility, we can anticipate longer visitation periods, diversified tourist flows, and improved regional economic impacts. For travelers who wish to experience more than a single-destination visit, this new route offers enticing combinations of sacred sites and historic temples. This is not just a new train service but rather a strategic lever for India’s tourism aspirations.
