Mumbai-Goa Vande Bharat Express Train Successfully Completes Trial Run, Launch Soon

Trial for the Mumbai-Goa Vande Bharat Express is successfully completed using the rake of Mumbai-Shirdi Vande Bharat Express, as the route will soon become operational for the semi-high-speed train.

The trial of the semi-high speed Vande Bhagat Express train was conducted on the Mumbai-Goa route on Tuesday, officials said. A Vande Bharat rake, capable of running at the top speed of 180 kmph, departed from platform number 7 of CSMT in Mumbai at 5:30 AM and reached Madgaon station in Goa at 12.50 PM. The rake departed from Madaon at around 1.15 pm and reached CSMT at 8:50 pm. The trial was carried out using the rake of CSMT-Shirdi Vande Bharat Express which does not run on Tuesdays, officials said.

Currently, three Vande Bharat Express trains operate between the financial capital and Ahmedabad, Solapur and Shirdi. Senior railway authorities are exploring the possibility of operating Vande Bharat Express trains on the popular Mumbai-Goa route which witness heavy rush throughout the year, officials added. The Vande Bharat Express is an electric multiple-unit train operated by Indian Railways.

The Mumbai-Goa Vande Bharat Express will be fourth semi-high speed train from the Mumbai, which now sits on the top of the route map with Delhi, with 4 trains each, This will be the 16th Vande Bharat route once launched, if recently scrapped Nagpur-Bilaspur route is considered as a temporary halt in the services of the train.

Recently, the Railways stopped services of the Vande Bharat train on the Nagpur-Bilaspur route and replaced it with Tejas Express due to less occupancy. The rake was sent on the Tirupati-Secunderabad route. There are a total of 16 Vande Bharat Rakes running on 15 routes across India right now.

As for the CST-Madgaon Vande Bharat Express, it will reduce the travel time between the two stations, which are already connected by a number of trains taking around eight to nine hours for a one side journey. Currently, Mumbai connects Gandhinagar, Shirdi and Solapur via Vande Bharat Express.

Apart from the Mumbai-Goa Vande Bharat Express, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will most likely flag off the Puri-Howrah Vande Bharat train on May 18, 2023. This will be first Vande Bharat for Odisha and second for West Bengal. Another Vande Bharat Express is expected to run between Bihar’s Patna and Jharkhand’s Ranchi.