Yesterday in Vizag-Vijayawada train, out of 450 seats, 350 were empty and 55% were taken. Morning rides from Monday to Friday usually have 400-600 people, 50-75%, depending on the day. But on return trips, they're almost always full, even on weekdays. Friday and Saturday are always packed, so you gotta book well ahead of time for Vijayawada-Vizag. Separate from all this is the Vande Bharat train, where Visakhapatnam to Samalkot has at least 300 passengers daily against the quota of 200. More bookings are done under general quota after they fill the quota. On the return journey, Vizag-Vijayawada has a quota of 148 with a waiting list of 30-50 for 2-3 days in advance. A new intercity train is needed for the Visakhapatnam-Vijayawada route, via Bhimavaram. Currently, there's no alternative to Ratnachal in the morning from Vijayawada or in the afternoon from Vizag. Since Vande Bharat runs from Secunderabad to Vizag, South Central Railway should consider a train from Guntur to Vizag, leaving at 6 a.m., reaching Vijayawada at 6:50, and Vizag at 1:20 or 4:10 or 3:10 to arrive by 10:20 or 11:20 to replace Godavari and bridge the time gap.