Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagged off the first heritage train in his home state Gujarat on the birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel. The train will ply between Ekta Nagar railway station, which connects to the Statue of Unity in Kevadia, and Ahmedabad.
The non-stop steam train will start operations from November 5, and ply every Sundays.
This is a new addition to the attraction at Ekta Nagar. This train, has a reflection of glorious heritage, and yet it is most modern, designed with state-of-the-art amenities. The look of the engine is that of a steam engine, however, it will run on electricity,” PM Modi said about the train from the Statue of Unity premises.
The train will help tourism potential of the region, which has the world’s tallest statue.
The heritage train will cover a distance of 182 km in 3 hours and 40 minutes. It will depart from Ahmedabad at 6:10 am and reach Ekta Nagar at 9:50 am. From Ekta Nagar, the train will start at 8:23 pm and reach Ahmedabad at 12:05 am.
The train has three executive chair car coaches with a seating capacity of 48 each. The train has a dining coach for 28 persons. The fare for one-way journey is nearly Rs 885. This, however, does not include any food, which can be bought from the pantry in the dining car.
The interiors of the coaches are wooden and the dining coach has teakwood dining tables with sofas for sitting. The panoramic windows allow the travellers with a view to cherish during the travel.
Other features include GPS-based public address and passenger information system (PAPIS), electronically operated automatic compartment sliding doors, flameless pantry, FRP modular toilets and luggage rack arrangements, just like TEJAS Express.
Looking at the huge tourism potential in the area, Railways is looking to increase the number of trains to and fro from Ekta Nagar to about 27 over the next few years. “The idea is to connect every state with Ekta Nagar and like his dream of unifying India, this in itself will be the biggest tribute to the Iron Man of India — Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel,” a railway official said.
At present, nine trains, including two MEMU trains, run between Ekta Nagar and various locations in Mumbai, Baroda, Delhi and Chennai.