Mumbai - Shri Narendra Modi, Hon’ble Prime Minister flagged off two Vande Bharat Express Trains from Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus railway station Mumbai on 10.2.2023. Shri Eknath Shinde, Hon’ble Chief Minister of Maharashtra, Shri Ashwini Vaishnav, Hon’ble Union Minister for Railways, Communication, Electronics and Information Technology, Shri Narayan Rane, Hon’ble Union Minister for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, Shri Ramdas Athawale, Hon’ble Union Minister of State for Social Empowerment, Shri Kapil Patil, Hon’ble Union Minister of State for Panchayati Raj, Shri Devendra Fadnavis, Deputy Chief Minster of Maharashtra, Shri Rahul Narvekar, Hon’ble Speaker of Maharashtra Assembly, Shri Deepak Kesarkar, Hon’ble Minister School Education and Marathi Language, Government of Maharashtra, Shri Ravindra Chavan, Minister of Public Works (Excluding PU), Food and Civil supplies and Protection, Government of Maharashtra graced the occasion.
Shri Narendra Modi, while addressing the gathering said that Vande Bharat Express Trains has so far connected 108 districts in Bharat. Shri Ashwini Vaishnaw, said that Maharashtra has been allocated 12 times the budget it received on an average per year earlier. Shri Eknath Shinde, thanked the Prime Minister for giving 2 Vande Bharat Express Trains for Maharashtra. Shri Devendra Fadnavis, remembered about Shri Nana Shanker Shett, the founder director of GIP Railway on his birthday.
Shri Anil Kumar Lahoti Chairman and CEO, Railway Board, Shri Naresh Lalwani, General Manager, Central Railway, Shri Ashok Kumar Misra, General Manager, Western Railway and Principal Heads of Departments of Central and Western Railways, other senior railway officials and invitees were present on the occasion. Other dignitaries and invitees including school children, Rail fans, YouTubers and other rail enthusiasts were also among the gathering.
About 32,000 students from various schools of Maharashtra participated in drawing, writing and speech competitions on the theme of #VandeBharat. Winners of these competitions travelled on the #VandeBharat express train flagged off today from CSMT, Mumbai.
1) Mumbai-Solapur Vande Bharat Train
This will be the 9th Vande Bharat Train in the country which will enhance connectivity between Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus and Solapur. Mumbai, the commercial capital will be connected to the city of textiles and hutatmas (martyrs) in Maharashtra with the new world class train. This will also connect pilgrimage centers like Siddheshwar in Solapur, Akkalkot, Tuljapur, Pandharpur near Solapur and Alandi near Pune quicker.
The Vande Bharat Express train that will leave Solapur at 06.05 hrs daily except Thursday and arrive Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus at 12.35 hrs same day. In return, the Vande Bharat train will leave Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus daily except Wednesday at 16.05 hrs and arrive Solapur at 22.40 hrs same day. It will halt at Dadar, Kalyan, Pune and Kurduwadi.
Mumbai-Solapur Vande Bharat Express Train will cover the 455 km in 6 hours 30 minutes while the existing superfast train takes 7 hrs 55 minutes thus saving one hour 30 minutes travel time. On its way this train will climb and descend Bhor ghat i.e. Lonavala-Khandala ghat section which has the steepest gradient of 1 in 37, same day.
2) Mumbai-Sainagar Shirdi Vande Bharat Train
This will be the 10th Vande Bharat Train in the country which will enhance connectivity between Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus and Sainagar Shirdi. The Commercial Capital will be connected to the Pilgrimage Centres in Maharashtra like Nashik, Triambakeshwar, Sainagar Shirdi, Shani Singanapur.
Mumbai-Sainagar Shirdi Vande Bharat Express Train will leave Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus at 06.20 am daily except Tuesday and arrive Sainagar Shirdi at 11.40 am. In the return direction it will leave Sainagar Shirdi at 05.25 pm daily except Tuesday and arrive Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus at 10.50 pm. It will halt at Dadar, Thane and Nashik Road.
Mumbai –Sainagar Shirdi Vande Bharat Express Train will cover the 343 km in 5 hours 20 minutes. There is no direct train from CSMT at present. On its way this train will climb and descend Thul ghat i.e. Kasara-Igatpuri ghat section which has the steepest gradient on 1 in 37, same day.