The Vande Bharat Express has earned praise from a UK-based travel blogger who shared her experience of travelling from Mumbai to Goa on Instagram, and her video is now going viral.
Charlie, who goes by the handle @burnessietravels, documented her 8-hour journey on the semi-high-speed train, calling it "one of India's best rail options". In her detailed post, she highlighted the train's cleanliness, comfort, and onboard services, leaving many netizens pleasantly surprised.
"Mumbai to Goa on the Vande Bharat Express; one of India's best rail options! I sprung for a first-class ticket for this 8-hour journey down to Madgaon which cost me 31.57 pound expensive by Indian standards but an entirely different experience from the other trains I took!" she wrote.
Charlie was particularly impressed with the amenities that came with her ticket. "Breakfast, coffee, newspapers and a rose(?) was included... and it's hands down the most space I've ever had on a train," she said, adding that the seats could rotate to face the views or be locked into group seating. "Views are best during the monsoon season but the train will take 2 or 3 hours longer," she noted.
While she initially hoped to book a seat on the popular Vistadome train for her Goa trip, Charlie revealed she couldn't get a ticket despite trying well in advance. "This train was a great consolation prize!" she added.
See the viral video here:
Since being posted, her video has garnered 714,000 views and sparked conversation among users who praised Indian Railways' newer services while sharing their own experiences on the Vande
Bharat route.
A user wrote, "Omg being able to turn the seats towards the window is a total vibe."
Another user commented, "Thank you and I really mean it. Thank you for not trying to fit India into the stereotype and showing the good side of India."
"Glad to see people from foreign nations, showing the good side of India," the third user wrote.
