BENGALURU: Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Sunday virtually flagged off the inaugural run of the new Bengaluru–Mumbai express train after over 30 years of waiting. The minister described it as a major step towards strengthening rail connectivity between Karnataka and Maharashtra and also announced that the Bengaluru–Mumbai Vande Bharat Sleeper service is expected to begin soon.
The regular service of Train No. 16553/16554 SMVT Bengaluru– Lokmanya Tilak Terminus Bi-Weekly Express will commence from May 23 and 24, respectively, with an additional stoppage approved at Tumakuru station in both directions.
The journey will take 24 hours and 5 minutes, and the train will halt at Tumakuru, Davangere, SSS Hubballi, Dharwad, Belagavi, Miraj Junction, Sangli, Karad, Satara, Lonand, Pune, Lonavala, Karjat, Kalyan and Thane stations.
Union Minister of State for Railways V Somanna thanked Vaishnaw for sanctioning the new train and said it would benefit passengers travelling on one of the busiest routes while boosting Karnataka’s development.
On the Bengaluru Suburban Railway Project, Vaishnaw stated that work is progressing across all four corridors. For the Baiyappanahalli–Chikkabanavara and Heelalige–Rajanukunte corridors, land acquisition has been completed.
He noted that a Vande Bharat Sleeper maintenance depot will be established at Thanisandra for Rs 270 crore, along with a chair car maintenance facility at SMVT Bengaluru costing Rs 52.73 crore.
Tejasvi seeks fast rail link between B’luru, Mumbai
Bengaluru South MP Tejasvi Surya on Sunday urged Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw to sanction a high-speed rail corridor between Bengaluru and Mumbai via Davanagere and Hubballi, saying it would boost economic activity in Central and North Karnataka. Speaking virtually during the flag-off ceremony of the new SMVT Bengaluru–Lokmanya Tilak Terminus express train, he said Bengaluru and Mumbai are India’s two economic centres and improved connec-tivity between them would transform Karnataka’s growth prospects.