Mumbai will get its fourth Vande Bharat Express as Prime Minister Narendra Modi will dedicate Goa's first and India's 19th semi-high speed blue-white train to the nation on Saturday .
Read here: Amid low response of 16-coach trains, 8-coach Mumbai-Goa Vande Bharat soon
The train connecting Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) to Goa's Madgaon will be virtually flagged off by PM Modi at around 10:45 am from the Madgaon railway station. Railway minister Ashwini Vaishnaw and Goa chief minister Pramod Sawant will be present at the Madgaon station for the inauguration ceremony.
According to the railway officials, the train is likely to reach Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus around 6:30 pm in its inaugural run on Saturday.
Mumbai's fourth and Maharashtra's fifth Vande Bharat:
The Goa-Mumbai Vande Bharat express would be Maharashtra's fifth and Mumbai's fourth semi-high speed train. Presently, Vande Bharat trains ply on Mumbai-Shirdi, Mumbai-Solapur Mumbai Gandhinagar and, Nagpur-Bilaspur (though it is temporarily replaced by Tejas Express) routes.
Duration and halts:
The Goa-Mumbai Vande Bharat Express would operate six days a week except Friday. During the trial run, the train had covered the 586km-distance in around seven hours, the commercial run will take a little longer, a ministry official said.
{{/usCountry}}The Goa-Mumbai Vande Bharat Express would operate six days a week except Friday. During the trial run, the train had covered the 586km-distance in around seven hours, the commercial run will take a little longer, a ministry official said.
{{/usCountry}}It is likely to halt at seven stations: Dadar, Thane, Panvel, Khed, Ratnagiri, Kankawali and Thivim. The train will have a sectional speed of up to 120 kmph, the official added.
Read here: Vande Bharat Express trains now operational on 17 routes in India. See full list
Timings:
The regular service of the semi-high speed train is expected to commence from next week. Though its regular timetable has not been released, the eight-coach train is expected to start at 5:25 am from Mumbai's CSMT and will reach Madgoan at 1:15 pm. On its way back, it will start at 2:35 pm from Madgaon and will reach CSMT at 10:25 pm.
Fare:
Though there is no official announcement on the prices, the ticket cost can hover between ₹1,100- ₹1,500 for an AC chair car and for the Executive Class category it could be between ₹2,000- ₹2,500, cntraveller.in cited.
(With inputs from agencies)