Prime Minister Narendra Modi, via video-link, flagged off the inaugural journey of the Jalna-Mumbai Vande Bharat Express on Saturday. The event was met with enthusiastic cheers and applause as the train embarked on its maiden trip to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus in Mumbai.
Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, Union Minister of State for Railway Raosaheb Danve-Patil, Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis, and other dignitaries witnessed the occasion in Jalna.
During the event, Fadnavis announced that this marks the 6th Vande Bharat Express service in Maharashtra, with plans for manufacturing its rakes in Latur soon.
Danve-Patil emphasized that the train offers modern, safe, and comfortable travel, accommodating 530 passengers across its 8 coaches. With the addition of this service, the total number of Vande Bharat Railways in India has now reached 34. A nearly Rs 1,000 crore proposal for railway track doubling between Manmad and Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar has been approved, with work scheduled to commence by March.
The Jalna-Mumbai (CSMT) Vande Bharat Express is the first to serve the Marathwada region, connecting key cities like Jalna, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Manmad, and Nashik with the state capital.
The fully air-conditioned train boasts advanced features such as automatic sliding doors, comfortable seats, ergonomic recliners in chair cars, and 360-degree revolving seats in the executive class. It is equipped with a GPS-enabled passenger information facility providing live train updates. Each coach includes a mini pantry with mobile charging sockets, hot cases, bottle coolers, deep freezers, and hot water bottles for every seat. The coaches are disability-friendly, equipped with aerosol-based fire detection and suppression systems, CCTV cameras, openable windows, fire extinguishers, alarm buttons, talkback units, and modern bio-vacuum toilets with touch-free facilities.