8 trains to Statue of Unity: PM Modi flags off trains to boost connectivity and tourism

New trains with Vistadome coaches flagged connecting revamped Kevadiya station in Gujarat. (Source: Twitter) Visiting the Statue of Unity becomes easier as Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagged off eight trains connecting different parts of the country to Kevadia in Gujarat via video conferencing. The train connecting Hazrat Nizamuddin, Varanasi, Rewa, Dadar, Chennai, and Pratapnagar comprises Vistadome, AC chair car Executive Class, AC chair car, and Non-AC chair car coaches. The interiors of Ahmedabad-Kevadia Jan Shatabdi Express, one of the eight trains, have been designed in the style of a ‘Vista-dome tourist coach’, which offers large viewing areas with rooftop glasses and passenger seats.

Here are the timings and stops for the Ahmedabad-Kevadiya Jan Shatabdi Special Express:

As a regular service, the Ahmedabad-Kevadiya Jan Shatabdi Special Express will depart from Ahmedabad daily at 15:20 hrs and reach Kevadiya at 18:20 hrs the same day. The return train will depart from Kevadiya daily at 20:20 hrs and reach Ahmedabad at 23.05 hrs. The parade will halt at Nadiad, Anand, Vadodara Jn., Dabhoi, and Chandod stations.

Both the trains, Jan Shatabdi Express and Jan Shatabdi Special Express, will run every day with effect from January 18th. Ahmedabad-Kevadiya Jan Shatabdi Express will depart from Ahmedabad daily at 07:55 hrs and reach Kevadiya at 10:40 hrs the same day. The return train will depart from Kevadiya daily at 11:15 hrs and reach Ahmedabad at 14.00 hrs.

Modi said these trains would help boost tourism in the tribal region and increase connectivity to the world’s tallest statue, the Statue of Unity, which he inaugurated in October 2018 on Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel’s 143rd birth anniversary.

Situated near Kevadiya in Gujarat’s Narmada district, the magnanimous ‘Statue of Unity is the world’s tallest statue and a tribute to Sardar Vallabhai Patel, independent India’s first home minister and also deputy prime minister.

Modi also inaugurated the DabhoiChandod converted broad gauge railway line, ChandodKevadia new broad gauge rail line, the newly electrified Pratapnagar Kevadia section, and the new station buildings of Dabhoi, Chandod, and Kevadia.

Other trains that will soon be operational are Mahamana Express (Weekly), Dadar-Kevadia Express (Daily), JNizamuddin Kevadia Samparkranti Express (Bi-Weekly), Kevadia-Rewa Express (Weekly), Chennai-Kevadia Express (Weekly), and two MEMU trains running between Pratagnagar to Kevadiya.

Railway Minister Piyush Goyal, Chief Ministers of Gujarat, Maharashtra, and Uttar Pradesh, i.e., Vijay Rupani, Uddhav Thackeray, and Yogi Adityanath, respectively, joined the event via video link.