Panaji: The Vande Bharat Express flagged off virtually by Prime Minister Narendra Modi was given a grand welcome when it arrived at Madgaon station in Goa from Mangaluru on Saturday.
The eight-coach train completed a four-and-a-half-hour journey to reach its destination at around 4:15 pm.
The first batch of passengers included schoolchildren.
“The launch of Vande Bharat Express between Mangaluru and Madgaon stations begins a new chapter in connectivity between Karnataka and Goa,” said Rajya Sabha member Sadanand Shet Tanavade.
Tanavade, MLAs Digambar Kamat and Ulhas Tuenkar, BJP state general secretary Damu Naik and officials from the Konkan Railway Corporation Limited (KRCL) welcomed the train.
The Narendra Modi-led government has focused on the needs of the common man and has worked to fulfil them, Tanavade said, adding that the train will also help the tourism sector in the two states.
Talking to reporters, Kamat said the Modi government has stressed the improvement of infrastructure on all railway routes because of which some railway stations have surpassed airports as far as amenities and cleanliness are concerned.
The Vande Bharat Express between Mangaluru and Madgaon will run six days a week except on Thursdays.
As per the temporary schedule, the Vande Bharat Express will depart from Mangaluru Central at 8.30 am and reach Madgaon in Goa at 1.05 pm. The same train will depart Madgaon at 6.10 pm and reach Mangaluru Central at 10.45 pm. The train will halt at the renewed pit line in Mangaluru Central during the night.
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