According to The Indian Express, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will launch Vande Metro, the nation’s first non-suburban metro rail service, on Monday between Bhuj and Ahmedabad. The Vande Metro between Ahmedabad and Bhuj saw a successful trial run earlier this week by the Ahmedabad division of the Western Railway. Now, during his two-day visit to the state of Gujarat, PM Modi will officially launch its first run. The train would connect Ahmedabad, the commercial centre of Gujarat, with Kutch, one of the biggest districts in terms of size in all of India.
The train will travel around 360 km in 6 hours and 45 minutes, leaving from the Bhuj station at 5:05 am and arriving in Ahmedabad at 10:50 am. It will depart Ahmedabad at 5:30 p.m. and arrive in Bhuj at 11:20 p.m. on the return trip. The train, which can travel at up to 110 km/h, will stop at several locations before arriving at Kalupur’s Ahmedabad station. These include Anjar, Gandhidham, Bhachau, and Samakhiali in Kutch district; Halvad in Morbi district; Dhrangadhra in Surendranagar district; Viramgam in Ahmedabad rural; and Chandlodiya and Sabarmati stations in Ahmedabad city.
The train will run six days a week, from Bhuj on all days save Saturdays, and from Ahmedabad on all days save Sundays. According to the authorities, the Vande Metro train would have elements of a suburban metro system but still look like the Vande Bharat train. “True to a metro train, it will have cushioned sofas for seating 1150 passengers and space for 2058 passengers to ride while standing in coaches,” Western Railway Senior Public Relations Officer (PRO) Pradeep Sharma told The Indian Express.
There will be ten carriages on the train, each having automated sliding doors and engines at both ends. “The primary distinction between a Vande Bharat and a Vande Metro train is that the latter is entirely unreserved, allowing travellers to buy tickets at the counter well in advance of their scheduled departure time,” Sharma continued.
The minimum price for a ticket, according to the officials, will be Rs 30, inclusive of GST. The Ahmedabad division has not yet made official ticket rates known, but sources say that the base fare—which does not include GST—for a one-way ride from Bhuj to Ahmedabad would be about Rs 430. In addition, the railway will sell season tickets that are good for seven, fifteen, and twenty single trips every week, fortnight, or month.
