Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday flagged off two Vande Bharat trains from Mumbai to Shirdi and Solapur. At an event at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus in south Mumbai, Modi first flagged off the CSMT-Solapur Vande Bharat Express and later another semi-high-speed train linking the financial capital to Sainagar Shirdi temple town in Ahmednagar district. The two Vande Bharat Express trains -- the 9th and 10th in the series -- will connect major pilgrimage centers in Maharashtra and give a fillip to the religious tourism circuit, officials explained.
The Mumbai-Solapur Vande Bharat train will transport pilgrims to the famed temples and religious sites of Siddheshwar, Akkalkot, Tuljapur, Pandharpur and even Alandi in the vicinity. Similarly, the Mumbai-Sainagar Shirdi Vande Bharat train will serve devotees going to Trimbakeshwar, Shirdi's Saibaba Temple, Shani Singanapur, and other important locations in that region, besides the Kumbh Mela held in Nashik every 12 years, the next due in 2027.
Know all the details about these trains here-
Vande Bharat Express: Speed and Time
The Mumbai-Solapur Vande Bharat Express will cover the 455 km distance between Mumbai and the textile city in 6 hours and 30 minutes, a saving of nearly one hour in current timings. On the other hand, the Mumbai-Sainagar Shirdi Vande Bharat Express will take 5 hours and 25 minutes to cover the 343 km distance to the temple town.
Vande Bharat Express: Ticket Price
The one-way fare without catering service on the CSMT-Solapur Vande Bharat train will be Rs 1,000 for chair car and Rs 2,015 for executive chair car, while the fares for the two classes with catering will be Rs 1,300 and Rs 2,365 respectively, a CR official said. The one-way journey ticket without catering service for CSMT to Sainagar Shirdi will be Rs 840 and Rs 1670 for chair car and executive chair car respectively, while the ticket prices with catering service will be Rs 975 and Rs 1840 respectively.
(With PTI and IANS inputs)
