Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday flagged off Goa’s first Vande Bharat Express from Madgaon railway station via video conferencing from Bhopal.
The train will run between Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus and the Madgaon station. It will cover the journey in approximately seven and half hours which will help save about one hour of journey time, when compared with the current fastest train connecting the two places.
On the occasion, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said that the biggest revolution in the Railways is being done by PM Narendra Modi. "Never such revolution has taken place in the country if compared to non-BJP governments before 2014," he said.
"One can also compare the road, air, railway and water connectivity with present and past governments. Our government has made so much progress that I will require half an hour to tell you about it. We can see the changes taking place in these four areas in a tiny state like Goa," he said.
Sawant said that Vande Bharat Express will help entrepreneurs for their business activities in Maharashtra and Goa. "Railway is the real lifeline of our country wherein common people travel from one place to another," he said.
Union Minister for State for Tourism Shripad Naik said that this day is important in the developmental history of Goa. "Since 2014 progress of the nation has taken place. Around 18 Vande Bharat Express trains are running in the country, where many facilities are given to commuters," Naik said.
He said that the government is committed to completing the projects, which are pending. "By considering the needs of common people, our government has done the development," Naik said.
State Tourism Minister Rohan Khaunte said that this connectivity will help in the area of tourism. "Vande Bharat Express will help to connect Konkan and the coastal belt of Goa-Maharashtra," he said.
Vande Bharat Express was scheduled to start on June 3, on the Madgaon-Mumbai route, however the inauguration was cancelled due to the Odisha train tragedy.
According to officials, the state-of-the-art Vande Bharat Express will improve the connectivity in the Mumbai-Goa route and provide the people of the region the means to travel with speed and comfort.
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