Gandhinagar-Mumbai Vande Bharat Express semi-high speed train which was flagged off by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday from Gandhinagar Capital railway station reached Mumbai in the evening.
The train arrived at Mumbai Central Railway Station at 7:28 pm on platform number 5. The train covered the distance of 492 km between Ahmedabad and Mumbai in 5.30 hours.
More than 370 passengers travelled on board the new upgraded Vande Bharat 2.0 train.
The train, which connects the capital cities of Maharashtra and Gujarat, is the third Vande Bharat Express. The first such train was started on New Delhi-Varanasi route, while the second one was started on New Delhi-Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra route.
Among its first passengers were railway enthusiasts and YouTubers besides railway officials, security personnel and media persons.
The booking had opened only a day before.
The passengers were excited to be part of the train’s inaugural run and clicked photos as well as shot videos on mobile phones during the journey.
Vande Bharat Express arrives at Mumbai Central railway station after departing from Gandhinagar Capital
PM Narendra Modi flagged off the train from Gujarat’s capital city earlier in the day#VandeBharat #IndianRailways #NarendraModi @PMOIndia @narendramodi @RailMinIndia pic.twitter.com/Pqdfm0NKus
— Free Press Journal (@fpjindia) September 30, 2022
Vacuum toilets like those seen at airports, spacious and rotating seats in the executive chair car class, the passenger addressing system, wide windows and end-to-end gangway were some of the most appreciated features of the new train.
What passengers said?
Jaydeep Nimawat, a real estate businessman who was travelling to Surat from Ahmedabad with his family for Navratri celebrations, was clearly impressed. “This train is awesome compared to other trains. The seats are spacious and comfortable,” he said.
Siddharth Kinariwala, a railway enthusiast, said he booked a ticket online for a journey from Ahmedabad to Surat.
“I booked a ticket as soon as my boss approved the leave this morning. I wanted to have first-hand experience of the train,” he said.
The seats are comfortable and have good leg space, and the interiors as well as the facilities for passengers too are good, he said.
(With inputs from PTI)
