Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated three new Vande Bharat Express trains for Maharashtra yesterday via a video link, bringing the total number of these semi-high-speed trains in the state to eleven. The newly launched services include – Nagpur-Secunderabad Vande Bharat Express, Kolhapur-Pune Vande Bharat Express and Pune-Hubballi Vande Bharat Express.
Prior to this addition, Maharashtra had eight Vande Bharat Express trains operated by both Western Railway and Central Railway. The Western Railway manages the Mumbai-Ahmedabad and Mumbai-Gandhinagar routes, while the Central Railway oversees the Mumbai-Madgaon, Mumbai-Solapur, Mumbai-Sainagar Shirdi, Mumbai-Jalna, Nagpur-Raipur, and Nagpur-Bilaspur routes.
Swapnil Nila, Chief Public Relations Officer of Central Railway, highlighted that the new Vande Bharat trains are the upgraded 2.0 version, featuring 21 enhancements for improved passenger comfort and safety.
“Central Railway has presented three more Vande Bharat trains with 21 updates to increase the comfort and safety of passengers,” Nila said.
Three new Vande Bharat Express Trains for Maharashtra
Pune-Kolhapur Vande Bharat Express:
- Operates every Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday starting September 18.
- Departs from Pune at 2:15 PM, arrives in Kolhapur at 7:40 PM.
- Returns from Kolhapur every Thursday, Saturday, and Monday, leaving at 8:15 AM and reaching Pune at 1:30 PM.
- Stops at Miraj, Sangli, Kirloskarwadi, Karad, and Satara.
Pune-Hubballi Vande Bharat Express
- Operates every Thursday, Saturday, and Monday starting September 19.
- Leaves Pune at 4:15 PM, arrives in Hubballi at 11:40 PM.
- Returns from Hubballi every Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday, departing at 5:00 AM and reaching Pune at 1:30 PM.
- Stops at Satara, Sangli, Miraj, Belagavi, and Dharwad.
Nagpur-Secunderabad Vande Bharat Express
- Runs six days a week, except Tuesday, starting September 19.
- Departs Nagpur at 5:00 AM, arrives in Secunderabad at 12:15 PM.
- Returns from Secunderabad six days a week, leaving at 1:00 PM and reaching Nagpur at 8:20 PM.
- Stops at Sevagram, Chandrapur, Ballarshah, Ramagundam, and Kazipet.