Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): Before Diwali, the city of lakes is set to receive two more Vande Bharat Express trains: Bhopal to Patna and Bhopal to Mumbai.
The operation of these two trains will begin before Diwali, said railway officials, adding that the rakes will be made available in September, thereafter the trial runs will be started. West Central Railways (WCR) will operate these two trains in Madhya Pradesh this year.
The direct Vande Bharat Express trains will be operated from Rani Kamalapati railway station (RKMP), Bhopal, to Patna and Mumbai before Diwali. Vande Bharat trains to Patna and Mumbai will have 16 sleeper coaches each. Introducing another Vande Bharat Express from Bhopal-Lucknow is also on the cards, but the officials did not disclose details of the same. The train is expected to have eight chair car coaches.
Currently, there is no direct train from Bhopal to Patna. In response to the increasing number of passengers traveling to Patna and Mumbai, the railways have decided to introduce the Vande Bharat trains to ease rail travel for passengers.
The Vande Bharat Express trains are a flagship initiative by the Indian government to promote indigenous manufacturing and modernise the railway infrastructure. Currently, there are many trains from Bhopal to Mumbai like Punjab Mail, Kushi Nagar, Mangla, Kamayani, Rajdhani, Tulsi, Pushpak, Gorakhpur-LTT.
However, these trains often have long waiting lists. Besides, there is no direct train for Patna from Bhopal. The proposed Bhopal-Lucknow train will ease the passengers' flow as currently Pratapgarh Express runs three days a week to Lucknow, while Garib Rath from Bhopal to Lucknow is weekly, both have a long waiting list.
