Latest news with #VandeBharat
Hindustan Times
2 hours ago
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
PM Modi likely to inaugurate Vande Bharat to Srinagar this weekend
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to inaugurate the Vande Bharat train, connecting Srinagar to national captial, on Saturday from Katra in Jammu. Earlier, the inauguration ceremony was scheduled for April 19, however, it was postponed. Sources, however, said that PM Modi could travel to Jammu by the end of this week to inaugurate the Vande Bharat train. The inauguration will be a historical moment for J&K as it will help to boost tourism and the trade activities in the region, especially after the recent Pahalgam terror attack, in which 26 people (mostly tourists) lost their lives. The attack impacted the tourism. Since then government along with stakeholders is trying to get tourists back to the UT, especially Kashmir and the train could prove to be a game changer. Earlier, the train used to run between Baramulla in Kashmir and Sangaldan in Jammu province. Now with all the tunnels and stretches complete, the rail will run between the summer capital of Srinagar and other parts of the country. This Vande Bharat sleeper train will pass through picturesque destinations and the world's highest bridge on Chenab and will 13 hours to complete its journey between Delhi to Srinagar. It will stop at six places and will be the first train between Delhi and Srinagar. A stopover has been proposed at Katra due to security reasons. Recently, soldiers were ferried in this train after the announcement of ceasefire between India and Pakistan The track to Kashmir has 38 tunnels and 927 bridges. The rail link has two engineering marvels in Reasi district—world's highest rail arch bridge at 359m over Chenab River and India's first cable-stayed rail bridge over Anji river. The train started operating in Kashmir for the first time in history in 2009 after the Qazigund-Baramulla railway track was opened. Four years later, the train was extended beyond Qazigund to Banihal after completion of a tunnel between Qazigund in Kashmir and Banihal in Jammu. A year later Udhampur to Katra link was thrown open and in 2023, Banihal to Sangaldan link was also opened. Currently the trains run between Baramulla to Sangaldan passing through Srinagar. The foundation of the railway project in Kashmir was laid in 1995 and took around three decades to complete. Sources, however, said it's not clear whether PM Narendra Modi will meet victims from shelling hit areas.
Time of India
7 hours ago
- Politics
- Time of India
DMK meet should have thanked our armed forces, says Tamilisai
Coimbatore: BJP leader and former governor of Telangana and Puducherry Tamilisai Soundararajan expressed dissatisfaction over the DMK general council's failure to pass a resolution thanking the Indian armed forces for conducting Operation Sindoor . Speaking to reporters at the Coimbatore International Airport on Sunday, she said, "Our armed forces risked their lives to carry out Operation Sindoor. A resolution could have been passed to express gratitude to them." She pointed out that even though DMK MP Kanimozhi received international attention for speaking about Operation Sindoor, the party did not acknowledge the armed forces in its resolutions. "If Kanimozhi is being recognised for highlighting the operation on global platforms, then a resolution thanking the forces should certainly have been passed," she said. Tamilisai urged political parties not to politicise matters of national security, stating that "everything else is already being politicised." She also criticised the DMK's resolution condemning the railway department for allegedly neglecting Tamil Nadu. She countered that Tamil Nadu received the highest number of Vande Bharat trains in the country. Accusing the DMK of being more focused on criticism than progress, she said the general council meeting seemed to have been convened mainly for the sake of issuing condemnations. "It would have been better if resolutions were passed for the development of Tamil Nadu," she said. Referring to actor and MNM leader Kamal Haasan, she remarked that although he started his political party in opposition to the DMK, he is now aligned with them. She called this an act of opportunism.
The Hindu
11 hours ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
Somanna slams Siddaramaiah for implicating farmers opposing Hemavathi link canal project
In a sharp political swipe, Minister of State for Railways V. Somanna on Sunday criticised Chief Minister Siddaramaiah saying he has become like 'a train that missed the village station.' 'The old Siddaramaiah is lost. He may take 10 steps forward, but then retreats 50 steps backward under pressure,' he said, while responding to media questions in Kalaburagi about the Hemavati Link Canal Project in Tumakuru. Accusing the State government of stagnation and political favouritism, the Central Minister condemned the Congress government for implicating farmers who are opposing the project. 'The State government is acting like stagnant water, trying to appease some while punishing others unjustly. Why are poor farmers being targeted with criminal cases? What wrong have they done? The State government should stop harassing people. Officials who once declared the project unfeasible are now saying it's possible, just to protect their positions,' he said urging the State government to work with Central irrigation experts to resolve issues on technical merit. Speaking on railway projects in Karnataka, Mr. Somanna said that works worth ₹7,654 crores have been announced in budget for 2025-26. 'During the UPA government, Karnataka got an insignificant amount for railway projects. Now, the amount has crossed ₹7,000 crore. Vande Bharat Express trains are already running across 13 districts in the State. There have been requests to run Vande Bharat trains between Mangaluru and Bengaluru and Belagavi and Bengaluru. These services will be launched shortly,' he said. Acknowledging concerns that rail services are becoming increasingly skewed toward upper class passengers due to the focus on air-conditioned coaches, Mr. Somanna said that Indian Railways will soon introduce 10,000 new general class coaches to better serve the needs of common passengers and address overcrowding in trains across the country. Mr. Somanna also noted that the Indian Railways is making significant savings of approximately ₹18,000 crore annually through electrification and promised that all new railway lines will be launched as electrified routes to ensure sustainability and cost-efficiency. 'As much as 44,000 km of railway lines have been doubled over the last 10 years. Electrification of several routes has led to significant savings, estimated at ₹17,000 crore to ₹18,000 crore, while also helping reduce air pollution. Out of the 300 Amrit Bharat railway stations being upgraded nationwide, 61 are located in Karnataka and are currently under development,' he said. Responding to comparisons with the UPA government, Mr. Somanna pointed out that during the 2009-10 fiscal year, ₹11,500 crore had been spent on doubling projects. In contrast, the present government has allocated ₹70,000 crore for such work in the 2025-26 fiscal year alone, he said arguing that this demonstrates a much stronger commitment to railway development than previous administrations.
India.com
21 hours ago
- India.com
Good news for Delhi, Mumbai and Pune as Indian Railways plans to launch 10 Vande Bharat Sleeper trains by..., important routes may include....
Vande Bharat Sleeper Train (Image: X) Vande Bharat Sleeper trains launch: In a significant good news for the residents of New Delhi, Pune, Mumbai and Kolkata, the Indian Railways is expected to launch ten Vande Bharat Sleeper trains in the ongoing financial year (FY 25-26). Manufactured in a collaboration with Bharat Earth Movers Limited (BEML), the new ultra-modern trains are expected to provide world-class facilities at afforable routes. 'We expect to roll out 10 Vande Bharat Sleeper trains in the ongoing financial year. These trains are being manufactured in a collaboration with BEML', a senior railway official was quoted as saying about the launch of the Vande Bharat Sleeper trains by a report carried by ETNow. Although the routes of the trains have not been officially announced, important routes like New Delhi-Howrah, Sealdah-New Delhi, New Delhi-Pune, New Delhi-Mumbai, and New Delhi-Secunderabad are expected to be part of it. Readers should also note that the official announcement about the launch will be mad by the Railway Board (RB). Vande Bharat sleeper train- Top Speed In a significant achievement for the Indian Railways, the Modi government recently announced that the Vande Bharat sleeper train achieved a peak speed of 180 km per hour in its multiple trials in the last three days. Sharing a video of a successful trial in Kota Division, Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, mentioned the speed in a post on X. The video shows a full glass of water adjacent to a mobile on a plain surface inside a Vande Bharat sleeper train. The static water level can be seen in the video as the train achieves near constant peak speed of 180 km per hour, a report by IANS news agency said. Notably, passengers are already enjoying reclining seats and world-class travel experience through 136 Vande Bharat trains running across the country on medium and short distances and the new Vande Bharat Sleeper trains are expected to go near the top speed. (With inputs from agencies)
India.com
a day ago
- Business
- India.com
Delhi-Bhubaneswar in less than 6 hours? Govt likely to introduce THIS superfast train, it's not Vande Bharat, Rajdhani, name is..., top speed to be...
Indian Railways News: The Narendra Modi government, in the last 10 years, has introduced a slew of measures that have transformed the face of Indian Railways. From introducing trains like Vande Bharat to 100 percent electrification of the railway tracks, the sector has witnessed many changes that have made the traveling experience of passengers convenient and comfortable. In addition to this, the government is also set to launch superfast bullet trains. According to the reports, the first Shinkansen bullet trains now undergoing trials in Japan for the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail (MAHSR) project, a future of rapid rail travel seems more tangible than ever. Although Odisha isn't included in the initial corridor, the impact of this major development could soon pave the way for cities like Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, and Puri to feature on India's high-speed rail map. India's First Bullet Train: In a major development, India's first bullet, which is part of the India-Japan collaboration under the MAHSR project, mark a historic first for Indian Railways. According to the reports, the trial runs of two Shinkansen train sets, one each from Japan's E5 and E3 series, are underway in Japan to test their performance under various climate and terrain conditions. These trains are capable of speeds up to 320 km/h and are expected to arrive in India by early 2026 for further testing on Indian soil. High-Speed Future of Odisha: Though the current project is confined to western India, its success is likely to fast-track the nationwide rollout of bullet train corridors. If Odisha is incorporated in the upcoming phases, the impact could be transformative. Here are some of the key details: The travel time between Bhubaneswar and New Delhi could be reduced to under six hours. Currently, the travel time between Bhubaneswar to Delhi is 27-30 hours The journey to Visakhapatnam likely to come down from nearly seven hours to less than five. A high-speed rail link to Kolkata could bring down the travel duration to around two hours and forty-five minutes. Bhubaneswar to Bengaluru, which currently takes over 24 hours, could become a manageable five-and-a-half-hour ride. Reaching Hyderabad may take just over four hours, and Chennai around four and a half.
