Jalna-Mumbai Vande Bharat Express completes inaugural journey in less than seven hours
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday flagged off the Jalna-Mumbai Vande Bharat Express connecting the Marathwada city of Jalna with Maharashtra's capital. The train, flagged off by Modi virtually during a function in Ayodhya, started its inaugural run from Jalna, around 400 km from Mumbai, at 12.12 pm, and reached the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSTM) here at 6.55 pm.
It was among the six Vande Bharat Express trains flagged off by Modi.
While deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis travelled by the train from Jalna to Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde received it at CSMT in Mumbai in the evening. Speaking on the occasion, Shinde demanded that there should be a train between Mumbai and Ayodhya.
The Railways has undertaken projects worth Rs 1.7 lakh crore in the state and they will be completed in a time-bound manner, he said.
Speaking on board the train, Fadnavis said this was an important moment for the central Maharashtra's Marathwada region. Vande Bharat trains will be manufactured at the coach factory at Latur in Marathwada in future, he added.
The Jalna-Mumbai train is Maharashtra's seventh Vande Bharat service, six of which are operated on the Central Railway network.
It is the fifth Vande Bharat service to run from Mumbai, as per a CR release. Regular services of the train will commence from CSMT Mumbai from January 1, and from Jalna from January 2, the release said.
Train No 20706 Mumbai-Jalna Vande Bharat Express will depart from CSMT daily (except Wednesday) at 13.10 hrs and arrive at Jalna at 20.30 hrs the same day, the CR release said.
