Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw today virtually flagged off a new express train service between Bengaluru and Mumbai, boosting rail connectivity between Karnataka and Maharashtra. Speaking on the occasion, Mr Vaishnaw said, the long-pending demands of people in South and North Karnataka are now being fulfilled. He also announced that the Vande Bharat Sleeper service between Bengaluru and Mumbai is expected to begin soon.
Highlighting railway infrastructure growth, the Minister said Karnataka currently operates 12 pairs of Vande Bharat trains. He added that bullet train corridors connecting Bengaluru with Hyderabad and Chennai have also been approved. Mr Vaishnaw said the rail network connecting Mumbai, Bengaluru and other major cities is planned to expand to seven thousand kilometres in the long term. On the Bengaluru Suburban Railway Project, Mr Vaishnaw said work is progressing on all four corridors.
Addressing the gathering, Minister of State for Railways V. Somanna said a Vande Bharat Sleeper maintenance depot will be set up at Thanisandra at a cost of 270 crore rupees, while a chair car maintenance facility will be established at SMVT Bengaluru at a cost of over 52 crore rupees.
The Railway Ministry said that under the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme, 61 railway stations are being redeveloped in Karnataka at a cost of more than two thousand crore rupees, with work already completed at nine stations. It also noted that over 1,700 kilometres of new railway lines have been laid in the state since 2014.
