Prime Minister Narendra Modi Unveils 3 new Vande Bharat express trains for Maharashtra; tally rises to 11
Prime Minister Narendra Modi Unveils 3 new Vande Bharat express trains for Maharashtra; tally rises to 11
The number of Vande Bharat trains operating in Maharashtra has risen to eleven following the inauguration of three new services by Prime Minister Narendra Modi through a video link from Ahmedabad on Monday. These new trains will service the routes between Nagpur and Secunderabad, Kolhapur and Pune, and Pune and Hubballi, as reported by officials.
Previously, Maharashtra had eight Vande Bharat Express trains running on various routes, managed by the Western Railway and Central Railway. The Western Railway operates the Mumbai-Ahmedabad and Mumbai-Gandhinagar Vande Bharat trains, while the Central Railway oversees the Mumbai-Madgaon, Mumbai-Solapur, Mumbai-Sainagar Shirdi, Mumbai-Jalna, Nagpur-Raipur, and Nagpur-Bilaspur routes.
According to an official of Central Railway, the newly introduced trains represent an upgraded 2.0 version of the semi-high-speed trains, featuring 21 enhancements aimed at improving passenger comfort and safety.
The Pune-Kolhapur and Pune-Hubballi Vande Bharat Express trains, each consisting of eight coaches, will operate three times a week. The 20-coach Nagpur-Secunderabad Vande Bharat train will run six days a week.
The Pune-Hubballi Vande Bharat Express is scheduled to depart from Pune at 4:15 PM and arrive in Hubballi at 11:40 PM the same day. Conversely, the Nagpur-Secunderabad Vande Bharat Express will leave Nagpur at 4:15 PM and reach Secunderabad at 11:25 PM.
The Kolhapur-Pune-Kolhapur Vande Bharat Express will also operate three days a week, with services running every Thursday, Saturday, and Monday. The train will start from Kolhapur at 8:15 AM and reach Pune at 1:30 PM. The return journey from Pune to Kolhapur will be available every Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday, departing Pune at 2:15 PM and arriving in Kolhapur at 7:40 PM.
The Kolhapur-Pune-Kolhapur Vande Bharat Express will make stops at Miraj, Sangli, Kirloskarwadi, Karad, and Satara stations.
The Pune-Hubballi-Pune Vande Bharat Express will also operate three days a week: Thursday, Saturday, and Monday. Starting September 19, it will leave Pune at 2:15 PM and arrive in Hubballi at 10:45 PM. The Hubballi-Pune service will run every Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday, departing Hubballi at 5:00 AM and reaching Pune at 1:30 PM, with scheduled stops at Satara, Sangli, Miraj, Belagavi, and Dharwad stations.
The Nagpur-Secunderabad-Nagpur Vande Bharat Express will run six days a week, excluding Tuesdays. The train will depart Nagpur at 5:00 AM on September 19 and reach Secunderabad at 12:15 PM. The Secunderabad-Nagpur service will also operate six days a week, except Tuesdays, leaving Secunderabad at 1:00 PM and arriving in Nagpur at 8:20 PM, with halts at Sevagram, Chandrapur, Ballarshah, Ramagundam, and Kazipet stations.
Earlier in the day, Union Minister and Nagpur MP Nitin Gadkari highlighted the popularity of the Vande Bharat Express trains since their debut in 2019 and expressed gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw for launching the new service from Nagpur.
