Lagatar24 Desk
New Delhi, Feb 10: Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagged off Mumbai-Solapur and Mumbai-Sainagar Vande Bharat Express from Mumbai on Friday.
Eknath Shinde, the chief minister of Maharastra, Ashwini Vaishnaw, and Devendra Fadnavis, the deputy chief minister, were also present at the event.
“There was a time when MPs used to write letters for arrangements for trains to stop at stations in their areas, for a 1-2 minute stoppage. Now, when the MPs meet, they demand a Vande Bharat in their area. This is the craze of Vande Bharat trains today”, PM Modi said after flagging off the trains in Mumbai.
“Vande Bharat train is a magnificent picture of today’s modern India. It’s a reflection of India’s speed & scale. You can see the speed with which the country is launching Vande Bharat. 10 trains launched,” he added.
There was a time when MPs used to write letters for arrangements for trains to stop at stations in their areas, for a 1-2 minute stoppage. Now, when the MPs meet, they demand a Vande Bharat in their area. This is the craze of Vande Bharat trains today: PM Modi in Mumbai pic.twitter.com/7QypbTioEw
— ANI (@ANI) February 10, 2023
With the two trains operating, there will be three Vande Bharat Express trains departing from Mumbai, bringing the total number of trains in the nation to ten. Gujarat’s Gandhinagar and Mumbai were connected by the inaugural Vande Bharat train in Maharashtra.
Shinde said it is for the first time that Maharashtra received Rs13,500 crore for railways. “A few people say what Maharashtra got in the budget. But they didn’t read. As Railway Minister and Deputy CM said, Maharashtra had never received Rs 13,500 crore for the railway. For the first time this amount has been allocated for railway in state”, he said at the event.
Notably, Mumbai-Solapur Vande Bharat between Mumbai and Solapur runs on six days except Wednesday. The train departs from Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminal (CST) at 4:05 pm and reaches Solapur at 10:40 pm.. The chair car ticket costs Rs 1,000 without catering service and Rs 1,300 with catering service. The executive chair car ticket costs Rs 2,015 without catering service and Rs 2,365 for catering service.
Mumbai-Shirdi Vande Bharat covers the distance between Mumbai and Shirdi in five hours and 20 minutes. The train departs at 6.20 am and will reach Shirdi at 11.40 am. The train stops at Dadar, Thane and Nashik Road stations. The Vande Bharat train runs on six days except Tuesday. The chair car ticket costs Rs 840 without catering service and Rs 975 without catering service. The executive chair car ticket costs Rs 1,670 without food and Rs 1,840 with food.