Modi's Mumbai visit: Mumbaikars have been waiting for this day for a long time, says PM

Congratulating the residents of Mumbai after dedicating two Vande Bharat trains Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said that Vande Bharat trains reflect Indias speed and scale He said the trains will ease the sufferings of the commuters and save their timeAt an event at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus in south Mumbai Modi first flagged off the the CSMTSolapur Vande Bharat Express and later another semi highspeed train linking the financial capital to Sainagar Shirdi temple town in Ahmednagar districtThis is Modis second visit to the city in less than a month On January 19 the PM inaugurated and laid foundation stones for infrastructure and healthcare projects worth more than Rs 38000 crore in MumbaiAlso read PM Modi reaches Mumbai flags off two Vande Bharat trains from CSMTHis visit assumes significance in view of the upcoming Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation pollsThe Prime Minister said that todayrsquos India will have to rapidly improve its public transport system ldquoVande Bharat train is a magnificent picture of todays modern Indiardquo he said ldquoIt is a reflection of Indias speed and scale You can see the speed with which the country is launching Vande BharatrdquoHe said Mumbaikars have been waiting for this day for a long time The train will benefit people from all walks of life including farmers businessmen and devoteesEarlier thanking the Prime Minister ldquofor the huge allocation made to Maharashtra Railway in the Union Budgetrdquo Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde said it is for the first time that Maharashtra Railway was allocated 13000 crore in the Union BudgetMumbaiSolapur train the ninth Vande Bharat train to be launched in the country will connect the countrys commercial capital to the City of Textiles and Hutatmas in Maharashtra and ensure faster connectivity to pilgrimage centres such as Siddheshwar in Solapur Akkalkot Tuljapur Pandharpur near Solapur and Alandi near PuneAccording to Railways the existing superfast train takes 7 hours 55 minutes while Vande Bharat will complete the same journey in 6 hours 30 minutes thus saving 1 hour 30 minutes of travel time It will also connect pilgrimage centres textile hub tourist sites and the education hub of PuneThe 10th Vande Bharat Train in the country the MumbaiSainagar Shirdi Vande Bharat Express will boost connectivity to important pilgrimage centres in Maharashtras Nashik Trimbakeshwar Sainagar Shirdi and Shani SingapurThe Vande Bharat Train is an indigenously manufactured SemiHigh Speed and selfpropelled train set The train is equipped with stateoftheart passenger amenities providing a much faster more comfortable and more convenient travel experience for railway passengersAccording to Indian Railways Vande Bharat 20 is equipped with advanced and improved features enabling it to reach 0 to 100 kmph in just 52 seconds a further 129 seconds to reach 160 kmph and a maximum speed of up to 180 kilometres per hour The improved Vande Bharat will weigh 392 tonnes as compared to the previous version which weighed 430 tonnesIt also comes with WiFi connection ondemand facility Every coach has 32inch screens providing passengers with information and infotainment compared to the 24inch screens in the previous version The Vande Bharat Express 20 is also environment friendly as the ACs are 15 per cent more energy efficientWith dustfree clean air cooling of the traction motor travel will become more comfortable The side recliner seats which were provided only to Executive Class passengers earlier have now been made available for all the classes Executive coaches have the added feature of 180degree rotating seatsIn its new design the Vande Bharat Express comes with a photocatalytic ultraviolet air purification system in the RoofMounted Package Unit RMPU for air purification Further as recommended by Central Scientific Instruments Organisation CSIO Chandigarh this system is designed and installed on both ends of RMPU to filter and clean the air keeping it free from germs bacteria and virusesThe Vande Bharat Express 20 offers various superior and aircraftlike travelling experiences It is equipped with advanced stateoftheart safety features including an indigenously developed Train Collision Avoidance System With inputs from Agencies