PM Modi flags off 9 Vande Bharat trains in 11 states; says speed of infra development matches aspirations of 140 crore Indians

In line with the Prime Minister’s vision to improve connectivity to important religious places across the country, the Rourkela- Bhubaneswar-Puri Vande Bharat Express and Tirunelveli-Madurai- Chennai Vande Bharat Express will connect the important religious towns of Puri and Madurai. Also, the Vijayawada-Chennai Vande Bharat Express will operate via the Renigunta route and will provide connectivity to the Tirupati pilgrimage centre.

Speaking on the occasion, PM Modi called the flagging off of the nine Vande Bharat Trains an unprecedented occasion of modern connectivity in the country. “This speed and scale of infrastructure development in the country is exactly matching the aspirations of 140 crore Indians,” he said. He said the trains inaugurated on Sunday are more modern and comfortable than the previous ones.

“This (the Vande Bharat trains) matches the aspirations of new India’s youth, women, professionals, businessmen, and salaried employees. Today, at one time, the people of Rajasthan, Gujarat, Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka and Kerala will all be able to avail of these facilities…I am happy that the craze for Vande Bharat trains is steadily increasing, with over 1 crore 11 lakh passengers having already used its services, and with numbers growing every day. The day is not far when Vande Bharat trains will connect every corner of the country…These trains are especially important for those who want to travel to another city for just a few hours of work, and return the same day,’’ he said.

PM Modi pointed out that tourism had increased in destinations connected by the Vande Bharat trains, providing impetus to shops and businesses in these cities.

He further mentioned the success of Chandrayaan-3 and Aditya L1, as well as the success of the G20 Summit, which he said showcased India’s strength of “democracy, demography and diversity”.

The Prime Minister also referred to the Narishakti Vandan Act as a decisive moment for women-led development. In this regard, he mentioned that many railway stations are being run by women functionaries.

He listed the PM Gatishakti Masterplan for seamless coordination in infrastructure development and the new logistics policy for reduction in transportation and exports-related charges. PM Modi also talked about multimodal connectivity saying one mode of transport should support other modes. “All this is to improve ease of travel for the common citizens.”

Stressing the importance of railways in the lives of common citizens, the Prime Minister lamented the neglect of this important sector in earlier periods, adding that this year’s rail budget was eight times the rail budget of 2014. Similarly, work is going on for doubling, electrification and new routes, he added.

The Prime Minister emphasised that “an India on the path of being developed will now have to modernise its railway stations as well”.

“With this thinking in mind, for the first time a campaign for development and modernisation of railway stations has been started in India. Today, a record number of foot overbridges, lifts and
escalators are being constructed in the country for the convenience of railway passengers. Just a few days ago, the work of redevelopment of more than 500 major stations in the country was started. These new stations built during the Amrit Kaal will be called Amrit Bharat stations, which will become the identity of new Bharat in the coming days,” he added.

The Prime Minister also noted that the Railways has started celebrating the ‘Sthapna Diwas’/Janma Divas, or the day of establishment of railway stations and mentioned the celebrations at Coimbatore and Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus in Mumbai.

The Prime Minister said that the country has made the vision of Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat a medium of Sankalp se Siddhi. “To achieve the goal of a developed India by 2047, which will mark 100 years of Independence, it is important that every state is developed and its citizens benefit. Earlier, there was a time when there was great competition about which minister will get the rail portfolio. This was because the belief was that whichever state’s minister will get railways, that state will receive the most trains. A slew of trains would also be announced in these states.”

“But in reality, you would not see them on the rail tracks. This kind of selfish thinking needs to be done away with, which has been a great loss to the railways and the people of the country as well. India cannot afford for any state to be left behind right now,’’ PM Modi said.

“Every employee of the Railways has to remain constantly sensitive towards ease of travel and to provide a good experience to the passengers,” he said, addressing rail employees.

Adding that the standard of cleanliness both on railway platforms as well as within trains had increased, Modi announced a Swacchta Abhiyan starting at 10 am on October 1, to mark Mahatma Gandhi’s birth anniversary, and appealed to the people of the country to join the event.

He also asked everyone to rededicate themselves to the purchase of khadi and swadeshi products and be more vocal for local during October 2-31 – from the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi to that of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel.