In Ahmedabad, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Tuesday, inaugurated and laid the foundation stone for railway projects amounting to Rs 85,000 crore. This included the introduction of 10 novel Vande Bharat trains. Present during the event were Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, Gujarat Governor Acharya Devvrat, CM Bhupendra Patel, and state BJP chief CR Paatil.
The PM initiated these projects from the Sabarmati region of Ahmedabad in Gujarat after a visit to the Operational Control Centre of the Dedicated Freight Corridor (DFC) in the area. While addressing the public in Ahmedabad, Modi expressed, “My life commenced on railway tracks, providing me firsthand knowledge of the dismal state of our railways in the past. Over the last decade, my government has allocated nearly six times more funds for railway development than its predecessors.”
“India boasts a youthful population, and I would like to convey to the youth that today’s inaugurations are for your present. The foundation stones laid today come with the assurance of a promising future for you. Unlike the administrations post-independence that prioritized political self-interest, my government has amalgamated the railway budget into the Union budget to optimize government funds for railway development. For us, development endeavors are not merely political tools but crucial steps for national progress,” added PM Modi.
The PM also inaugurated 10 new Vande Bharat trains, connecting Ahmedabad-Mumbai Central, Secunderabad-Visakhapatnam, Mysuru-Dr MGR Central (Chennai), Patna-Lucknow, New Jalpaiguri-Patna, Puri-Visakhapatnam, Lucknow-Dehradun, Kalaburagi-Sir M Visvesvaraya Terminal Bengaluru, Ranchi-Varanasi, and Khajuraho-Delhi (Nizamuddin).
Modi flagged off the extension of four existing Vande Bharat trains: Ahmedabad-Jamnagar now extended till Dwarka, Ajmer-Delhi Sarai Rohilla extended till Chandigarh, Gorakhpur-Lucknow extended till Prayagraj, and Thiruvananthapuram-Kasargod extended till Mangaluru. The PM also inaugurated two fresh passenger trains connecting Asansol and Hatia & Tirupati and Kollam stations.
Furthermore, the PM dedicated 50 Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Kendras at various railway stations, providing affordable and high-quality generic medicines. Additionally, he inaugurated 51 Gati Shakti Multi-Modal Cargo Terminals, facilitating seamless movement of goods across various transportation modes.