Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is in Gujarat for a two-day visit, flagged off the Gandhinagar-Mumbai Vande Bharat Express train on Friday. The Prime Minister will also inaugurate phase-I of the Ahmedabad metro rail project. Various projects worth Rs 7,200 crore will be launched by Modi on the final day of his visit.
The train will provide passengers aircraft-like travelling experience and advanced safety features including Kavach technology, an indigenously developed Train Collision Avoidance System, an official said.
Offering a journey of comfort and away from the din, the Vande Bharat Express will connect the state capitals of Gujarat and Maharastra.
At around 10:30 am, Modi flagged off the Vande Bharat Express from Gandhinagar Capital railway station. After flagging off, he took a ride on the train from Gandhinagar to Kalupur railway station in Ahmedabad.
From Kalupur station, the prime minister will inaugurate phase-1 of the ambitious and much-awaited Ahmedabad Metro project, completed at a cost of Rs 12,925 crore, said a statement released by the government release.
He is set to board the metro train at Kalupur station and reach Doordarshan Centre in Thaltej, where he is scheduled to address a mega gathering around noon, the statement added.
In the evening, the PM will reach Ambaji town in Banaskantha district to launch various projects worth Rs 7,200 crore. After addressing a gathering, he will perform an aarti at the famous Ambaji temple, the release added.
"The Vande Bharat Express offers a myriad of superior amenities which will provide passengers with aircraft like travelling experience and advanced state-of-the-art safety features including Kavach technology-an indigenously developed Train Collision Avoidance System," CPRO of Western Railway zone, Sumit Thakur was quoted by ANI.
Every coach is equipped with 32-inch screens providing passenger information and advanced safety measures are also equipped, he added.
Vande Bharat Express, the new age train redefining passenger travelling, is the third to be launched in the country. The other two trains are being run between New Delhi-Varanasi and New-Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra.
Modi's visit to Gujarat is in the backdrop of the state gearing to face the Assembly elections by the year-end and the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is making all-out efforts to retain power in the state, which it has ruled for nearly three decades now.
(With inputs from PTI)
