Will A’bad-Mum non-stop AC train be a cheaper, faster option?

'Duranto', the non-stop train from Ahmedabad to Mumbai announced in the recent railway budget is likely to be cheaper and faster than the Shatabdi Express.

Presently, all trains headed towards Mumbai from Ahmedabad are fully booked. If sources in Western Railway are to be believed, more than 15,000 passengers are travelling from Ahmedabad to Mumbai daily with around 15 trains running between the route.

The fare for travelling by Shatabdi Express is around Rs635 per head for AC chair car while in the Duranto, it would be around Rs600. The non-stop air-conditioned train will run thrice a week at 11:15 pm from Ahmedabad railway station and will reach Mumbai in seven hours, sharp at 6 am which is the fastest in this route.

DNA had reported in its July 4 edition that the new train would be faster than all the eight trains that run between Ahmedabad and Mumbai currently.

The other trains on this route are Gujarat Express, Gujarat Mail, Shatabdi Express, Lokshakti, Mumbai AC Express, Karnavati Express and two passenger trains. The AC Express, which is currently the fastest train between the two cities, takes seven hours to reach Mumbai from Ahmedabad.

According to the railway sources after a lot of deliberation, it has been decided that the non-stop train to Mumbai will run on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday. Also, it was decided to run the train in the night keeping in mind the rush then.