Last week, PM Narendra Modi launched the 11th Vande Bharat Express between Bhopal and Delhi. Now, Indian Railways is all set to launch its 12th Vande Bharat Express between Secunderabad in Telangana and the temple town Tirupati in Andhra Pradesh. Prime Minister Modi will flag off the train on April 8, 2023.
It is the second train between both states after the Visakhapatnam – Secunderabad Vande Bharat Express launched earlier this year. The train between Secunderabad Railway Station (SC) and Tirupati Railway Station (TPTY) will cover a distance of 660 km in 8 hours and 30 minutes, with four intermediate stops at Nalgonda, Guntur, Ongole, and Nellore. It will save around 3 hours of travel time compared to the Sabari Express (17230) operating on the same route.
Secunderabad to Tirupati Vande Bharat Express – Proposed Schedule
Train No: 20701 – Secunderabad (SC) to Tirupati (TPTY)
| Station Name | Station Code | Arrival Time | Departure Time | Halt Time |
| Secunderabad | SC | – | 6:00 am | – |
| Nalgonda | NLDA | 7:19 am | 7:20 am | 1 mins |
| Guntur | GNT | 9:45 am | 9:50 am | 5 mins |
| Ongole | OGL | 11:09 am | 11:10 am | 1 mins |
| Nellore | NLR | 12:29 pm | 12:30 pm | 1 mins |
| Tirupati | TPTY | 2:30 pm | – | – |
Train No: 20702 – Tirupati (TPTY) to Secunderabad (SC)
| Station Name | Station Code | Arrival Time | Departure Time | Halt Time |
| Tirupati | TPTY | – | 3:15 pm | – |
| Nellore | NLR | 5:20 pm | 5:21 pm | 1 mins |
| Ongole | OGL | 6:30 pm | 6:31 pm | 1 mins |
| Guntur | GNT | 7:45 pm | 7:50 pm | 5 mins |
| Nalgonda | NLDA | 10:10 pm | 10:11 pm | 1 mins |
| Secunderabad | SC | – | 11:45 pm | – |
The upcoming Secunderabad – Tirupati Vande Bharat Express will be a 16-coach train set. Like the recently launched Delhi – Bhopal Vande Bharat Express, this train will offer 2 AC Executive Chair Cars and 14 AC Chair Cars. The train will run six days a week, except Tuesdays.
The Secunderabad – Tirupati Vande Bharat Express fares are yet to be announced. However, the fares are expected to be similar to the fares of other premium trains, such as the Shatabdi Express. The train will depart from Secunderabad at 6 am and reach Tirupati at 2.30 pm. The return train will depart from Tirupati at 3:15 am and arrive in Secunderabad at 11:45 pm.