PM Narendra Modi Praises Pune City for Welcoming Vande Bharat Express in 'Style'

The ninth Vande Bharat train between Mumbai-Solapur links nation's commercial capital with Pune and will reduce the travel time to under 3 hours from 3.45 hours.

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PM Narendra Modi recently flagged off two new Vande Bharat Trains in India during his visit to Mumbai, Maharashtra. The newly operational semi-high speed trains will be operated between Mumbai and Sainagar Shirdi and Mumbai and Solapur. The ceremony took place at Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus in the presence of Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw and Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde. Among the two trains, the Mumbai-Solapur train will also connect Pune with Mumbai, the Financial capital of India. 

The Mumbai-Solapur Vande Bharat Express train was received at the Pune Railway Station with a lot of fanfare and a video of the celebrations was recently shared by Central Railways on their Twitter account stating, "Energetic rhythm of dhol tasha to witness the arrival of the Vande Bharat Express at the Pune Station." Retweeting the same, PM Narendra Modi praised the city for the celebrations, saying "Pune surely knows how to welcome in style!"

Pune surely knows how to welcome in style! https://t.co/SryEBCxn6I — Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) February 11, 2023

Mumbai-Solapur Vande Bharat: Route, Timing

The ninth Vande Bharat train to be introduced in the nation, the Mumbai-Solapur train, will link the nation's commercial capital with Hutatmas and the City of Textiles in Maharashtra and ensure faster connectivity to places of worship like Siddheshwar in Solapur, Akkalkot, Tuljapur, and Pandharpur nearby Solapur, and Alandi near Pune. The train will go from CSMT to Pune in around 3 hours and from Solapur in about 5 hours and 30 minutes. A train travelling this route will leave at 16:05 and arrive in Solapur at 22:30.

Mumbai-Solapur Vande Bharat Express: Ticket Prices

The one-way prices for the two classes with catering would be Rs 1,300 and Rs 2,365, for Mumbai-Solapur line, while the prices for the chair car and executive chair car without catering would be Rs 1,000 and Rs 2,015.

Vande Bharat Express: Speed, Features

The Vande Bharat Train is an indigenously manufactured, Semi-High Speed and self-propelled train set. The train is equipped with state-of-the-art passenger amenities, providing a much faster, more comfortable, and more convenient travel experience for railway passengers. According to Indian Railways, Vande Bharat 2.0 is equipped with advanced and improved features enabling it to reach 0 to 100 kmph in just 52 seconds, a further 129 seconds to reach 160 kmph, and a maximum speed of up to 180 kilometres per hour. 

The improved Vande Bharat will weigh 392 tonnes as compared to the previous version, which weighed 430 tonnes. It also comes with Wi-Fi connection on-demand facility. Every coach has 32-inch screens providing passengers with information and infotainment, compared to the 24-inch screens in the previous version. The Vande Bharat Express 2.0 is also environment friendly as the ACs are 1 percent more energy efficient.

The Vande Bharat Express 2.0 offers various superior and aircraft-like travelling experiences. It is equipped with advanced state-of-the-art safety features including an indigenously developed Train Collision Avoidance System - KAVACH. 

(With ANI Inputs)