PM Modi Renames Vande Metro, Set for Launch in Gujarat, to…

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to inaugurate the Namo Bharat Rapid Rail service in Gujarat, the country’s first, today. This event is scheduled a day before his birthday.

The new rail service will connect Bhuj, located in Gujarat’s Kutch district, with Ahmedabad, covering a distance of 360 kilometers in less than six hours. The train will run at a maximum speed of 110 kilometers per hour and have multiple stops at important stations including Anjar, Gandhidham, Bhachau, Samakhiali, Halvad, Dhrangadhra, Viramgam, Chandlodiya, Sabarmati, and Kalupur in Ahmedabad.

The service will operate six days a week, with closures on Saturdays for Bhuj departures and on Sundays for Ahmedabad departures. The train’s departure from Bhuj is at 5:05 am, arriving in Ahmedabad at 10:50 am.

The return trip from Ahmedabad leaves at 5:30 pm, reaching Bhuj by 11:20 pm. The rail service has the capacity to accommodate up to 2,058 standing passengers and has seating for 1,150 passengers, including cushioned sofas.

This fully air-conditioned metro is equipped with modern amenities such as automatic sliding doors and engines on both ends, differentiating it from the Vande Bharat Express by offering features typically seen in suburban metro services. The minimum fare of the Namo Bharat Rapid Rail is set at Rs 30, inclusive of GST, and a one-way trip from Bhuj to Ahmedabad is expected to cost around Rs 430, excluding GST.

Additionally, the service will offer weekly, fortnightly, and monthly season tickets for frequent travelers, providing substantial savings of Rs 7, Rs 15, and Rs 20 respectively per single journey.