New Delhi: Vande Bharat is a magnificent picture of today's modern India and a reflection of the country's speed and scale, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said as he flagged off two trains from Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) on Friday, news agency ANI reported.
PM Modi flagged off the Mumbai-Solapur and Mumbai-Sainagar Shirdi Vande Bharat Express from CSMT. Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis were present on the occasion. Prime Minister Narendra Modi also inaugurated several development projects in Mumbai, ANI reported.
"Vande Bharat train is a magnificent picture of today's modern India. It's a reflection of India's speed and scale. You can see the speed with which the country is launching Vande Bharat. Ten trains have been launched," ANI quoted PM Modi as saying.
“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, adding, “India of the 21st century will have to rapidly improve its public transport system. The quicker our public transport system becomes modern, the more the ease of living for the people will increase, and their quality of life will see pleasant improvements.”
Notably, the Mumbai-Solapur Vande Bharat Express will cover a distance of 455km between Mumbai and the textile city in 6 hours and 30 minutes, saving nearly one hour from current timings.
The Mumbai-Sainagar Shirdi Vande Bharat Express will take 5 hours and 25 minutes to cover 343 km distance to the temple town.
The one-way fare without catering service on CSMT-Solapur Vande Bharat will be Rs 1,000 for chair car and Rs 2,015 for executive chair car, while the fares for two classes with catering will be Rs 1,300 and Rs 2,365 respectively, a railway official said.
The one-way journey ticket without catering service for CSMT to Sainagar Shirdi will be Rs 840 and Rs 1670 for chair car and executive chair car respectively, while ticket prices with catering service will be Rs 975 and Rs 1840 respectively.
It is to be noted that this is PM Modi's second visit to the city in less than a month. On January 19, he inaugurated and laid foundation stones for infrastructure and healthcare projects worth more than Rs 38,000 crore in Mumbai.