Mumbai: Amidst Vande Bharat trains getting a lukewarm response in the state, the centre has decided to implement eight-coach trains instead of 16-coach trains on the Mumbai to Goa route. The service is expected to start on June 3.
According to railway authorities, over the past few days, there have been meetings with the Railway Board in Delhi to finalise plans for operating the fourth Vande Bharat which will connect to the city.
“We have already received this eight-car Vande Bharat rake which shall run on the scenic Mumbai-Goa route over Konkan Railways. We might carry out a trial run of this rake as well. The timetable for the train is currently being finalised and the distance is expected to be covered in less than 7 hours,” said a senior official from the Ministry of Railways.
Currently, on average, it takes eight to nine hours to reach Madgaon in Goa from Mumbai by train. The new Vande Bharat train is expected to reach its destination 45 minutes earlier compared to Tejas Express which is considered to be the fastest train on the route.
The railway authorities have claimed that too many halts will defeat the purpose of this train and they shall stop at stations where there is a demand from the passengers.
“We have demanded that this Vande Bharat train makes halt at stations like Sawantwadi, Ratnagiri, Chiplun etc, where a crowd can be expected for these trains,” said MP Vinayak Raut who met Central Railway General Manager Naresh Lalwani on May 29.
Meanwhile, the trial of the 16-coach Vande Bharat train from Mumbai to Goa has been underway for the last few days. The project, however, is not a priority as such trains operating on both Central Railway and Western Railway have not fared well with the passengers.
The Passengers Associations, however, feel that 16-coach Vande Bharat trains will do much better on this route as people are not happy with the existing trains and, many people travel from Mumbai to Goa for vacations throughout the year.
“The Konkan route has tremendous demand because people want to reach Goa faster. If the railways are planning to introduce Vande Bharat on this route, then a regular 16-coach train would have made more sense as it will cater to more people,” Yashwant Jadyar, secretary of the Vasai- Sawantwadi Railway Passengers Association, said.