It was exactly 10:52 am, when the Vande Bharat, semi-speed train departed from Platform 1 in Dharwad after Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagged it off virtually.
The train, which boasts of blending luxury with speed, would reach Bengaluru in less than seven hours during the initial days.
At the stage program in Dharwad, Governor Thawar Chand Gehlot expressed his happiness and gave a call for the youths to make India self-reliant in all sectors. Vande Bharat is an example of what the technocrats in India can prove. Similar efforts are required in other fields to lessen import and increase export, he added.
Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi said that there is a demand to reverse the train schedule and start it from Dharwad. However, the maintenance unit of Vande Bharat at present is only in Bengaluru and hence, the train begins its journey from the State capital.
However, South Western Railway (SWR) has invited tender to start a maintenance unit in Hubballi. Once this unit is functional, Vande Bharat will start from Dharwad, he promised. This may take 6 more months.
The minister asked SWR General Manager Sanjeev Kishore to increase the speed of the train as the doubling and electrification work on the route is completed. Joshi said the train will catch speed ensuring the travel time between Bengaluru and Dharwad is reduced to just 5 hours.
On the occasion, Joshi assured of introducing another Vande Bharat from Belagavi shortly.
Published 27 June 2023, 08:45 IST