PM Modi to flag off Goa’s first Vande Bharat Express tomorrow

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will on Saturday virtually flag off the first Goa-Mumbai Vande Bharat Express from Madgaon railway station, officials said."Prime Minister Narendra Modi will flag off Goa’s first Vande Bharat Express from Madgaon railway station on 3rd June at 10:30 am via video conferencing. This will be 19th Vande Bharat train in the country. Vande Bharat will cover journey between Mumbai and Goa in approximately seven and half hours; saving about one hour of journey time as compared to the current fastest train on the route," said PMO in a statement.It will be the fourth train to run from Mumbai and a fifth one to run from Maharashtra."Realising Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of 'Make in India' and 'Aatmanirbhar Bharat', the state-of-the-art Vande Bharat Express  will improve connectivity in the Mumba-Goa route and provide the people of the region the means to travel with speed and comfort," added the statement.Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw and Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant will be among those present for the function at the Madgaon railway station.Railway officials said the Prime Minister will flag off the train through video link around 10.30 am and is likely to reach Mumbai around 6.30 pm.The Vande Bharat train on the Mumbai-Goa route will have eight coaches unlike the usual 16 coaches.Presently, 16-coach Vande Bharat trains ply on Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (Mumbai)-Sainagar Shirdi, CSMT-Solapur and Mumbai Central-Ahmedabad routes, while another train runs between Nagpur and Bilaspur.The regular service of the Mumbai-Goa train is expected to start from the next week. It will run six days a week except on Friday, railway officials added.Though its regular timetable has not been released, the train is likely to depart from Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus in Mumbai at 5.25 am and reach Madgaon at 1.15 pm, they said.The train will depart from Madgaon on the same day at 2.35 pm and reach Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus at 10.25 pm.It is likely to halt at seven stations: Dadar, Thane, Panvel, Khed, Ratnagiri, Kankawali and Thivim.During a trial between Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus and Madgaon on 16 May, the train had covered the distance in around seven hours.With inputs from agenciesRead all the Latest News, Trending News, Cricket News, Bollywood News,India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.