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Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Friday announced major railway upgrades and new services for Rajasthan, including the expansion of the Vande Bharat train operating between Jodhpur and New Delhi.
At the inaugural run of the 20-coach Vande Bharat Express between Jodhpur and Delhi Cantt, Vaishnaw said the Vande Bharat service on the route would be upgraded from an 8-coach rake to a 20-coach train, citing strong passenger demand. "The Vande Bharat train from Jodhpur to Delhi is being upgraded from 8 coaches to a 20-coach train. Vande Bharat is a very popular train," Vaishnaw told the media. He also announced the launch of a new rail service connecting Jaisalmer and Ahmedabad, along with infrastructure expansion in key railway hubs of western Rajasthan. "Today, the service from Jaisalmer to Ahmedabad will also start, and to enable new trains to begin in Jodhpur, which is a very important centre for western Rajasthan, a coaching terminal will also be set up in Jodhpur," he said. The Railway Minister further said a coaching care centre would also be inaugurated in Jaisalmer. "Today, a coaching care centre will also be inaugurated in Jaisalmer," he added. Earlier in the day, Vaishnaw arrived in Jodhpur, where he said the Centre is continuously undertaking major railway development projects across Rajasthan under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He highlighted that new rail lines, station modernisation projects, and additional train services are being introduced across western Rajasthan to improve connectivity. According to the minister, a daily rail service connecting western Rajasthan to Chennai has recently been launched, along with new daily services to Pune and Hyderabad. He also referred to the earlier introduction of a Bikaner-Mumbai train and the newly inaugurated Jaisalmer-Ahmedabad service. Vaishnaw said the Centre has allocated over Rs 10,000 crore for railway development in Rajasthan, with multiple projects currently underway, including new railway stations and fresh line constructions. He noted that long-pending projects such as the gauge conversion of the Marwar Junction-Mavli section are progressing, while work has also begun on the Merta-Pushkar rail line project. Responding to local demands, the Railway Minister said the request for a direct rail service to Haridwar has been noted and assured that a suitable arrangement would be made soon, adding that "good news" on the matter would follow shortly. (ANI)
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