In a bid to enhance connectivity between key commercial hubs, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to virtually flag off the inauguration of a second Vande Bharat Express on Tuesday.
The train will ply the bustling Ahmedabad-Mumbai Central route, providing travelers with a semi high-speed and luxurious commuting option, according to officials from Western Railway (WR).
The inaugural run of the Ahmedabad-Mumbai Central superfast train will coincide with the extension of the Ahmedabad-Jamnagar Vande Bharat Express up to Okha. The event will be conducted via video conferencing at 9 am, as announced in a WR release on Monday.
Following the virtual flag-off, bookings for the Ahmedabad-Mumbai Central Vande Bharat Express will commence at Passenger Reservation System (PRS) counters and on the IRCTC website on the same day. Regular services are scheduled to commence on March 13, confirmed railway officials.
The newly introduced superfast train will boast air-conditioned chair cars and executive chair coaches, traversing the over 500km distance between the two cities in under 6 hours. This marks the second Vande Bharat Express route connecting these commercial hubs, following the launch of the first service in 2022.
Presently, Western Railway operates five Vande Bharat trains equipped with top-notch passenger amenities and advanced safety features. Notable among them is the Gandhinagar Capital-Mumbai Central Vande Bharat Express, which commenced operations on September 30, 2022.
The schedule for the new Vande Bharat Express entails six days of operation each week, excluding Sundays. The train will make stops at Vadodara, Surat, Vapi, and Borivali stations in both directions. Departing from Ahmedabad at 6:10 am, it will arrive at Mumbai Central at 11:35 am. On its return journey, the train will depart from Mumbai Central at 3:55 pm, reaching Ahmedabad at 9:25 pm.
Currently, the existing Vande Bharat Express departing from Mumbai Central in the morning witnesses a high occupancy rate of 136 percent, slightly increasing to 141 percent on its return journey, according to officials.
Alongside the new addition, other Vande Bharat Express trains operating on the WR network include Ahmedabad (Sabarmati)-Jodhpur, Ahmedabad-Jamnagar, Indore-Bhopal-Nagpur, and Udaipur-Jaipur routes.
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