Nagpur: The BJP’s Railway Passenger Cell has requested Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw to split the 20-coach Nagpur-Secunderabad Vande Bharat Express into two and operate 10 coaches between Nagpur and Nashik. The demand was raised due to low occupancy in the Nagpur-Secunderabad Vande Bharat Express since its inauguration by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on September 16.
“Splitting the train into two will not only benefit passengers but also boost revenue, religious tourism, and trade,” said Braj Bhushan Shukla, chief of the BJP Railway Cell.
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In a memorandum to Vaishnaw, who was in the city on Friday, the BJP Railway Passenger Cell also drew attention to the old demand of establishing a railway medical college in Nagpur. City Women Morcha chief Pragati Patil, members Dilip Gaur, Dilipbhai Thakral, Ajay Gaur, Nitish Singh, and a large number of officials were present during the meeting. Shukla urged the Railway Minister to launch a daily Vande Bharat train between Nagpur and Pune, stating that the occupancy in existing trains to Pune has reached a saturation point and private luxury buses are taking advantage of it by charging at will.
The BJP leaders also demanded regularization of the 01139/01140 Nagpur-Madgaon-Nagpur special train, which is already pending with the Railway Board. They also requested the extension of Raipur-Nagpur-Secunderabad Express to Bengaluru, as there is currently no direct train from Nagpur to Bengaluru. A demand was also raised to run the 20912/20911 Nagpur-Indore Vande Bharat on all weekdays, as the train currently runs only 6 days a week.
“We also want train number 15159/15160 Chhapra-Durg Sarnath Express to be extended till Nagpur. This train is stranded at Durg for 8 hours, and extending it will benefit thousands of passengers from Nagpur. The Nagpur-Solapur Express was stopped during Covid and should be restarted,” said Shukla.
Accepting the memorandum, Railway Minister Vaishnaw assured the delegation that he will study these demands and fulfil them to the extent possible. Central Railway General Manager Dharamveer Meena, DRM Manish Agarwal, and senior officials were present during the meeting.
Shukla pointed out that there are no direct trains from Nagpur to major cities in the north, despite a large number of North Indians living in Vidarbha. After the construction of the Ram temple in Ayodhya, the number of passengers has increased, but there is only one weekly train on this route.
The BJP Railway Passenger Cell’s demands aim to improve connectivity and convenience for passengers traveling to and from Nagpur. By splitting the Nagpur-Secunderabad Vande Bharat Express, introducing new trains, and extending existing routes, the party hopes to boost tourism, trade, and revenue for the railways while also addressing the needs of the growing passenger base in the region.
