Bengaluru: Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Sunday announced that the proposed South Bullet Train corridor would connect Bengaluru with Hyderabad, Amaravati, and Chennai, while a Vande Bharat train service between Bengaluru and Mangaluru would be introduced in the coming weeks after the completion of electrification and testing work.
In his remarks on the occasion of the flagging off of the Vande Bharat Sleeper service between Bengaluru and Mumbai on the occasion of Karnataka Rajyotsava, Vaishnaw said Prime Minister Narendra Modi had approved the South Bullet Train corridor, which would integrate major technology and economic centres in the region and create a multiplier effect for southern states.
He said the proposed corridor would significantly reduce travel time, with the journey between Bengaluru and Chennai expected to take just 73 minutes and Bengaluru and Hyderabad around two hours and 10 minutes.
“These two cities, Bengaluru and Chennai, will become one city,” he said, adding that the connectivity would strengthen economic integration among major cities in southern India.
Vaishnaw said that as India moved towards the goal of Viksit Bharat, the Prime Minister had approved 4,000 km of bullet train corridors, and another 3,000 km would be announced in the coming days.
He expressed confidence that the proposed Bengaluru-Pune bullet train corridor, which would cover the northern parts of Karnataka, would also become a reality.
Referring to the demand for better railway connectivity along the Karnataka coast, the Union Minister said Mangaluru was an important city, and that electrification and testing work on the Bengaluru-Mangaluru route would be completed in the next few weeks.
“We will have a Mangaluru-Bengaluru Vande Bharat train. That will connect the entire region with very good, high-class connectivity,” he said.
Vaishnaw also announced plans for another Vande Bharat Sleeper service in Karnataka, which would connect Bengaluru with northern Karnataka, travel towards Hubballi, and proceed to Pune and Mumbai.
On the route of the newly introduced Vande Bharat Sleeper service between Bengaluru and Mumbai, he said the train would travel from Bengaluru through Guntakal in Andhra Pradesh before re-entering Karnataka through Raichur, Yadgir, and Kalaburagi and proceeding to Maharashtra.
He said the route would cover a significant portion of North Karnataka, which had not received adequate railway connectivity earlier. The route was finalised after consultations with Union Ministers Pralhad Joshi, H.D. Kumaraswamy, and V. Somanna.
Recalling the commitment behind the introduction of the Vande Bharat Sleeper service, Vaishnaw said November 1, Karnataka Rajyotsava, was an auspicious occasion to launch the service.
He said the Prime Minister had guided the Railways to keep the common man and middle-class families in mind while introducing modern railway services, ensuring that the poorest of the poor, youth and women also benefited.
“Keeping this in mind, three different types of trains — Namo Bharat, Amrit Bharat, and Vande Bharat — have been introduced, and their services are being made available to people,” he said.
Vaishnaw said the new sleeper service would connect Bengaluru, the country’s technology and start-up capital, with Mumbai, the financial capital.
During his address, Union Minister Joshi stood up to congratulate Vaishnaw following his announcement on the proposed bullet train corridor. Subsequently, the leaders joined hands and raised slogans of “Ek Bharat, Shreshtha Bharat”.
Vaishnaw attributed the expansion of railway infrastructure and improved connectivity to the leadership of Prime Minister Modi, saying the initiatives were contributing to building a new image for India.
(IANS)
