0 Trains from (SOH)SIROHI ROAD to (HMH)HANUMANGARH JN

·Traditional Welcome and festive atmosphere greets the pilgrim passengers.

·Railways to start next Bharat Gaurav Train from Secunderabad connecting Mata Vaishnodevi, Haridwar, Rishikesh, etc from 10th June 2023.

 Shri G. Kishan Reddy, Hon’ble Union Minister for Culture, Tourism and Development Of North Eastern Region, Govt. of India flagged off “Ganga Pushkarala Yatra: Puri-Kashi-Ayodhya” Bharat Gaurav Tourist Train today i.e., 29^th April, 2023 at Secunderabad Railway Station. Shri Arun Kumar Jain, General Manager, SCR, Shri Abhay Kumar Gupta, Divisional Railway Manager, Secunderabad Division, Shri. P. Raj Kumar, GGM, IRCTC along with other Senior Railway officials participated the flagging-off of the Bharat Gaurav Train.

 Speaking o­n the occasion, Shri G. Kishan Reddy stated that Indian Railways is providing a great opportunity to the pilgrim passengers all over India with the introduction of Bharat Gaurav Trains to showcase India’s rich cultural heritage and magnificent historical places to the people of India and the world. Bharat Gaurav Trains have evoked a great response from the people of two Telugu states. Indian Railways aims to leverage the core strengths of the professionals of the tourism sector to run pilgrimage based trains to tap the vast tourist potential of India. He also stated that Railways is also introducing Mata Vaishnodevi with Haridwar – Rishikesh Bharat Gaurav Tourism Train from 10^th June to 18^th June, 2023.

 Shri Arun Kumar Jain, GM, SCR stated that the train offers a unique opportunity to pilgrim passengers to visit these culturally prominent places without the hassle of planning individual itinerary items. He stated that, Bharat Gaurav trains will give major fillip to the growth of Tourism in the country, while also fulfilling the desire the tourist passengers in the most convenient manner.

 The 3^rd Bharat Gaurav Train from the two Telugu states of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh commenced its journey from Secunderabad Station today. A festive atmosphere prevailed at the station premises with Rail Yatris being greeted with traditional welcome and Kuchipudi dancers evoking cultural heritage of the two Telugu states.

 Introduction of Bharat Gaurav Trains is a testament of the continuous endeavor of the Indian Railways to provide enhanced train services to the rail passengers in the two Telugu states. This train provides a unique opportunity to the pilgrim passengers of both the Telugu speaking states.

 Â·Till now, two trips (on 18^thMarch and 18^th April 2023) have already been operated under the initiative and have seen enthusiastic response from the passengers, with the train being fully booked (about 700 passengers in a trip).

·Already, the 4^th and 5^thtrip have also been announced which will be commencing o­n 13^th May 2023 and 27^th May 2023 respectively.

 Third trip of Bharat Gaurav Train from SCR

 Â·The third trip of the present Bharat Gaurav Train coincides with the Sacred Pushkaralu in the holy river Ganga being held from 22^nd April to 3^rd May, 2023.

·    The train provides a unique opportunity to pilgrim passengers of both Telugu states by providing boarding / de-boarding facility at: Secunderabad, Kazipet, Khammam, Vijayawada, Eluru, Rajahmundry, Samalkot, Visakhapatnam and Vizianagaram.

·The Train will take the pilgrim passengers to visit some of the most sacred religious places of Hindus viz., Kashi, Ayodhya, Puri, Konark, Prayagraj and Gaya.

Flags sixth Vande Bharat in last 2 months

“Rajasthan gets its first Vande Bharat Express today. This will significantly enhance connectivity and boost tourism”

“Vande Bharat realizes the spirit of ‘India First Always First’”

“Vande Bharat train has become synonymous with development, modernity, stability and self-reliance”

“Unfortunately an important and basic need of the citizens like railway was turned into an arena of politics’

“Railway budget for Rajasthan has been increased 14 times since 2014, from 700 crore in 2014 to more than 9500 crore rupees this year”

“Bharat Gaurav circuit trains are continuously strengthening the spirit of Ek Bharat - Shreshtha Bharat”

“When the infrastructure of connectivity like railway is strong, then the country is strong. This benefits the common citizen of the country, benefits the poor and middle class of the country”

The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi flagged off Rajasthan’s first Vande Bharat Express train via video conferencing today. 

Addressing the gathering, the Prime Minister congratulated the land of valour Rajasthan for getting its first Vande Bharat Train that will not o­nly ease the travel between Jaipur Delhi but will also give a push to the tourism industry of Rajasthan as it will help the access to places of faith like Theerthraj Pushkar and Ajmer Sharif. 

In the last two months, the Prime Minister recalled getting the opportunity to flag off six Vande Bharat trains in the country including the Delhi-Jaipur Vande Bharat Express and gave the example of Mumbai-Solapur Vande Bharat Express, Mumbai-Shiridi Vande Bharat Express, Rani Kamlapati-Hazrat Nizammuddin Vande Bharat Express, Secunderabad-Tirupati Vande Bharat Express and Chennai Coimbatore Vande Bharat Express. The Prime Minister pointed out that approximately 60 lakh citizens have traveled in the Vande Bharat Express since its inception. “The speed of Vande Bharat is its main speciality and it is saving the time of  people”, the Prime Minister said. According to a study, the Prime Minister noted that those who travel by Vande  Bharat express save 2500 hours o­n every trip. He highlighted that the Vande Bharat Express is  developed while keeping in mind manufacturing skills, safety, fast pace and beautiful design. Reiterating that the citizens have highly appreciated the Vande Bharat Express, the Prime Minister said that the Express train is the first semi automatic train to be developed in India and o­ne of world’s first compact and efficient trains. “Vande Bharat is the first train to be compatible with the indigenous safety Kavach system”, Shri Modi said. He pointed out that it is the first train to scale the heights of Sahyadri Ghats without needing an extra engine. “The Vande Bharat Express realizes the spirit of ' ‘India First Always First’”, he said. The Prime Minister expressed delight that the Vande Bharat Express has become synonymous with development, modernity, stability  and ‘Atmanirbharta’.  

The Prime Minister lamented the fact that an important and basic need of the citizens like railways was turned into an arena of politics. He said India inherited a fairly big railway network at the time of Independence but political interest dominated the need for modernization in the years after independence. Politics was evident in selection of railway minister, announcement of trains and even in recruitments. Land acquisition was done under the false pretense of railway jobs and many unmanned crossings continued for a very long time and cleanliness and safety took a back seat. The situation took a turn for the better after 2014 when people elected a stable government with full majority, “When the pressure of political give and take receded, railway heaved a sigh of relief and sprinted to new heights”  he said. 

The Prime Minister said that the government at the center is making Rajasthan a land of new opportunities. He said that the central government has done unprecedented work for the connectivity that is so important for a state like Rajasthan which has tourism as an important part of its economy. Shri Modi mentioned the dedication of Delhi Dausa Lalsot section of Delhi Mumbai Expressway in February. The section will benefit Dausa, Alwar, Bharatpur, Sawai Madhopur, Tonk, Bundi and Kota districts. The Prime Minister informed that the central government is working o­n about 1400 kilometer long roads in the border areas in Rajasthan and more than 1000 kilometer long roads are proposed in the state. 

Underlining the priority that is being accorded to connectivity in Rajasthan, the Prime Minister mentioned starting of work o­n the railway line from Taranga Hill to Ambaji. This line was a century old pending demand which is now being fulfilled. He also informed that broad gauging of Udaipur-Ahmedabad line has already been completed and more than 75 percent railway network has been electrified.  Shri Modi remarked that the railway budget for Rajasthan has been increased 14 times since 2014, from 700 crore in 2014 to more than 9500 crore rupees this year. Speed of doubling of the railway lines also doubled. The gauge change and doubling has helped tribal areas like Dungerpur, Udaipur, Chittorgarh, Pali and Sirohi. Dozens of stations are being upgraded under Amrit Bharat Railway Yojana, he added. 

Keeping in mind the convenience of the tourists, the Prime Minister informed that the government is also running different types of circuit trains and gave the example of Bharat Gaurav circuit trains that have made more than 70 trips so far ferrying more than 15 thousand passengers. “Be it Ayodhya-Kashi, Dakshin Darshan, Dwarka Darshan, Sikh pilgrimage sites, Bharat Gaurav circuit trains have been run for many such places”, the Prime Minister said. Noting the positive feedback received o­n social media by those traveling, the Prime Minister said that these trains are continuously strengthening the spirit of Ek Bharat - Shreshtha Bharat.

The Prime Minister highlighted the o­ne Station o­ne Product campaign and said that Indian Railways has made another effort over the years in taking the local products of Rajasthan across the country. He pointed out that Indian Railways has set up around 70 o­ne Station o­ne Product Stalls including Rajasthan  Jaipuri quilts, Sanganeri block print bed sheets, rose products, and other handicrafts that are being sold in these stalls. He noted that small farmers, artisans and handicraftsmen of Rajasthan have got this new medium to reach the market. Concluding the address, the Prime Minister said that this is an example of everyone's participation in development. “When the infrastructure of connectivity like rail is strong, then the country is strong. This benefits the common citizen of the country, benefits the poor and middle class of the country”, the Prime Minister concluded and expressed confidence that the modern Vande Bharat train will play an important role in speeding up the development of Rajasthan.

Background 

The inaugural train will run between Jaipur and Delhi Cantt. railway station. The regular service of this Vande Bharat Express will start from 13th April, 2023 and will operate between Ajmer and Delhi Cantt with stops at Jaipur, Alwar and Gurgaon.

The new Vande Bharat Express will cover the distance between Delhi Cantt. and Ajmer in 5 hours 15 minutes. The present fastest train in the same route, Shatabdi Express, takes 6 hours 15 minutes from Delhi Cantt. to Ajmer. Thus, the new Vande Bharat Express will be faster by 60 minutes as compared to the present fastest train running o­n the same route.

Ajmer-Delhi Cantt. Vande Bharat Express will be the world's first semi high speed passenger train o­n high rise overhead electric (OHE) territory.  The train will improve connectivity of major tourist destinations in Rajasthan including Pushkar, Ajmer Sharif Dargah etc. Enhanced connectivity will also provide a boost to socio-economic development in the region.