Brand new Rajdhani all set to start from Saturday.
Railway Minister Piyush Goyal will flag off the railways' latest Rajdhani on the Mumbai-Delhi route Saturday.
With the introduction of the Mumbai-Hazrat Nizamuddin bi-weekly Rajdhani Express, there will now be three Rajdhanis serving the route between the two cities, the railways said Friday.
However, this will be the first such train passing through the Central zone, covering Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT), Kalyan, Nasik, Jalgaon, Khandwa, Bhopal, Jhansi, Agra, and Hazrat Nizamuddin and passing through two significant Hindi heartland states -- Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh, it said.
Railways Minister Piyush Goyal had earlier said this Rajdhani 'was a request from the Chief Minister of Maharashtra, Devendra Fadnavis'.
At present, there are two Rajdhani trains running between Delhi and Mumbai — one from Mumbai Central and the other from Bandra Terminus. The current fleet size of Rajdhani trains on the railway network is 23.
On the other hand, the much-expected train 18 would soon run from Delhi to Varanasi. The run-time of the train would be eight hours, which is about one-and-a-half-times faster than the fastest train on the route. Goyal said the Railway Protection Force (RPF) was running campaigns to sensitise people on the Train 18 route.
The train has a number of features to enhance passenger comfort, which include interconnected fully-sealed gangways, automatic doors with retractable footsteps, GPS-based passenger information system, modular toilets with bio-vacuum systems, rotational seats that can be aligned in the direction of travel, roller blinds, diffused LED lighting and differently-abled-friendly toilets.
With agency inputs
New Delhi-Mumbai Rajdhani to begins operation: All you need to know about the new train https://t.co/0QSQ2J0D4B pic.twitter.com/8CQz00Eq3F
— DNA (@dna) January 19, 2019
1. Timings of the train
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The train will leave Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus Mumbai every Wednesday and Saturday at 2.50 pm from January 19 and arrive at Hazarat Nizamuddin at 10.20 am next day.
On its return journey, the train will leave Hazarat Nizamuddin every Thursday and Sunday at 4.15 pm and arrive at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus Mumbai at 11.55 am next day, the railways said.
2. How many first AC coach will be there?
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It will have one first AC, three AC 2-tier, 8 AC 3-tier and a pantry car.
The current fleet size of Rajdhani trains on the railway network is 23, with two catering to Mumbai.
Currently, two Rajdhani trains -- one from Mumbai Central and the other from Bandra Terminus -- run on the Western Railway.
This will be the first Rajdhani in the state which will take a detour via Madhya Pradesh, instead of Gujarat.
3. How is it a gamechanger for Mumbaikars?
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Access to the Rajdhani Express will soon become a lot more convenient for those living in central suburbs.
The train will start from Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) with halts at Thane, Kalyan, Nasik and Bhusawal before entering Madhya Pradesh. Currently, two Rajdhani trains – one from Bombay Central and the other from Bandra Terminus – and August Kranti run Western Railway.
"This will prove to be a boon for thousands of people who have to travel all the way till Mumbai Central along with their luggage. With this diversion, the Rajdhani will barely run 90 kms more," said Madhu Kotian, president of Mumbai Rail Pravasi Sangh. The train will also benefit people from Bhopal and other metro cities. Rajdhani is known for travel comfort, food served and other amenities.
4. Rail Minister Piyush Goyal will formally flag off the Rajdhani
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