·The Hon’ble Prime Minister flagged-off 9 Vande Bharat Trains spread across 11 states, through video conference.
·Hyderabad (Kacheguda) – Bengaluru (Yesvantpur) and Vijayawada – Chennai are also part of the 9 Vande Bharat Trains.
Shri Narendra Modi, Hon’ble Prime Minister of India flagged off the Kacheguda – Yesvantpur (Hyderabad – Bangalore) and Vijayawada – Chennai Central Vande Bharat Express trains today i.e., 24thSeptember, 2023 through remote video link. The Hon’ble Prime Minister flagged off total nine Vande Bharat trains across the Nation including two services in the SCR jurisdiction. Shri Ashwini Vaishnaw, Union Minister of Railways, Communications, Electronics & Information Technology, Govt. of India and other dignitaries also participated in the program through virtual mode.
I.Simultaneously, a function was held at Kacheguda Railway station, where Shri G. Kishan Reddy, Hon’ble Union Minister of Culture, Tourism and Development of North Eastern Region, Govt. of India; Shri AVN Reddy, Hon’ble MLC and other dignitaries graced the occasion. Shri Arun Kumar Jain, General Manager, SCR; Shri Lokesh Vishnoi, Divisional Railway Manager, Hyderabad Division and other senior Railway officials also participated in the program.
II.A function was also held at Vijayawada Railway Station simultaneously. DrBharathiPravinPawar, Hon'ble Minister of State for Health & Family Welfare; Smt R. Baghya Lakshmi, Mayor, Vijayawada Municipal Corporation; ShriKesineniSrinivas, Hon'ble MP LokSabha; Shri M. Vishnu, MLA Vijayawada Central and other dignitaries graced the occasion.
Speaking on the occasion, Shri Narendra Modi stated that the flagging off of nine Vande Bharat trains is an unprecedented occasion of modern connectivity in the country. He stated that the Vande Bharat Trains are a symbol of a new enthusiasm of new India. He expressed his happiness about the growing popularity of Vande Bharat in India as he informed that more than one crore eleven lakh passengers have travelled in Vande Bharat trains so far. Further, the Hon’ble Prime Minister informed that 25 Vande Bharat trains are already serving people in different states and union territories and today 9 more are being added. He also stated that the Vande Bharat is a great option for the people who wish to save time and perform same day travel. He also highlighted increased tourism in the places connected by Vande Bharat leading to increased economic activities.
The Prime Minister emphasized that “an India on the path of being developed will now have to modernize its railway stations as well”. With this thinking in mind, for the first time a campaign for development and modernization of railway stations has been started in India. Today, a record number of foot over bridges, lifts and escalators are being constructed in the country for the convenience of railway passengers, he said. Just a few days ago, the work of redevelopment of more than 500 major stations of the country was started. These new stations built during the AmritKaal will be called Amrit Bharat Stations, the Prime Minister said. “These stations will become the identity of the new Bharat in the coming days”, he added
Stressing on the importance of railways in the lives of common citizens, Shri Narendra Modi stated that the government is undertaking various initiatives for the transformation of Indian Railways. He informed that the budget for Indian Railways has been increased by eight times and works are going on rapidly for doubling, electrification and new lines projects across the Nation, he added. The Prime Minister said that every citizen has noticed the new standards of cleanliness at Railway stations. He advised everyone to get involved in the proposed swachhta abhiyan to pay tribute to Mahatma Gandhi. “I am confident that the changes taking place at every level in Indian Railways and society will prove to be an important step towards a developed India”, the Prime Minister added.
Addressing the gathering at Kacheguda Railway station, Shri G. Kishan Reddy, Hon’ble Union Minister stated that a new era of connectivity and progress has begun in the transportation sector under the leadership of our Hon’ble Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi. He stated that for the first time in History nine Semi-high speed Vande Bharat trains are being flagged off across the Nation. These Vande Bharat trains will connect different cities spread across 11 states, he said. The Hon’ble Union Minister informed that the central Government is undertaking various initiatives and putting in efforts for enhancement of Rail infrastructure and Rail connectivity in Telangana State. He stated that Kacheguda – Yesvantpur Vande Bharat Express is a gift for the people and will reduce the travel time by half.
Earlier, Shri Arun Kumar Jain, General Manager, SCR presented the welcome address. He stated that the Kacheguda – Yesvantpur Vande Bharat Express will provide faster Rail connectivity between India’s two major IT capitals i.e., Hyderabad & Bangalore. He stated that the train marks a huge milestone in SCR’s journey towards connectivity, progress and enhancement of transportation infrastructure.
The regular train service of the Kacheguda – Yesvanpur – Kacheguda Vande Bharat Express will commence ex-Yesvantpur from 25thSeptember 2023 and from Kacheguda with effect from 26th September 2023. The train is composed of 8 coaches (7 AC Chair Car coaches & 1 Executive Chair Car coaches) with the carrying capacity of 530 passengers.
The regular train service of the Vijayawada – Chennai – Vijayawada Vande Bharat Express will commence its operations from 25thSeptember 2023. The train is composed of 8 coaches (7 AC Chair Car coaches & 1 Executive Chair Car coaches) with the carrying capacity of 530 passengers.
