Mumbai: Vande Bharat trains were a reflection of India’s speed towards becoming atamnirbhar and vikshit Bharat, said Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He flagged off two Vande Bharat trains from Mumbai to Shirdi and Mumbai to Solapur on Friday.

Speaking on the occasion at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) in Mumbai Modi said that India of the 21st century will have to rapidly improve its public transport system. The faster our public transport system becomes modern and improved, the more the ease of living for the people will increase, and their quality of life will see pleasant improvements he asserted.

Our government is committed to developing mass railway infrastructure in Maharashtra. The Vande Bharat trains, flagged off today, are part of our commitment towards making world-class railway infrastructure available to the people of the country, he said.

As many as 108 districts in 17 states have received faster rail connectivity through the Vande Bharat trains. The latest trains became the ninth and tenth Vande Bharat trains to be launched in the country, he added.

The Mumbai-Solapur Vande Bharat Express will cover the 455 km distance in 6 hours and 30 minutes, while the Mumbai-Sainagar Shirdi Vande Bharat Express will cover the 343 km distance in 5 hours and 25 minutes.

Modi said that the BJP-led NDA government had allocated Rs 13,500 crore to Maharashtra for the wider development of railways and further accused the opposition of neglecting the state’s railway infrastructure in their budget allocation.

He defined the Vande Bharat train as a magnificent picture of today’s modern India. Now, people can see the speed with which the country is launching Vande Bharat. 10 trains launched so far, he said.

Railway Minister Vaishnaw said the Mumbai -Shirdi Vande Bharat train will provide reach-connectivity en route to Nashik, Tarambkeshwar, Tuljapur and many famous pilgrimage places. He also added that the work to develop the CSMT into an international standard will begin soon.