Prime Minister virtually flags off Visakahaptnam-Durg Vande Bharat express

Prime Minister Narendra Modi virtually flagged off the Visakhapatnam-Durg Vande Bharat express on its inaugural run from Visakhapatnam railway station on Monday evening.

Union Minister of Civil Aviation K. Rammohan Naidu addressing a meeting organised on the occasion of the virtual flagging off of the Visakhapatnam-Durg Vande Bharat express by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in Visakhapatnam on Monday evening. | Photo Credit: V. RAJU

Union Minister of Civil Aviation Kinjarapu Rammohan Naidu, who participated as the chief guest at a meeting organised on the occasion of the inaugural run, on Platform 1, said that the ‘double engine sarkar’ of Mr. Narendra Modi at the Centre and Mr. N. Chandrababu Naidu government in the State was committed to the demand for operationalisation of the railway zone (Visakhapatnam-head quartered South Coast Railway (S Co R) zone). He said that the State government has already handed over the land for construction of the zonal headquarters and the bhoomi puja for construction of the zonal headquarter would be performed on an auspicious day between Dasara and Deepavali.

He expressed optimism that the new Vande Bharat express would contribute to the growth and development of the backward districts of North Andhra as also Rayagada in Odisha and Raipur and Durg in Chhattisgarh. He complimented the Prime Minister for launching several initiatives like ‘Make in India’. Today, state-of-the art coaches were being made in India with indigenous technical know-how and our own human resources, he added.

The railway stations, which were constructed during the British time, about a century ago, were now being upgraded. High speed and semi-high speed trains like Vande Bharat were launched after Mr. Modi became the Prime Minister. In future, Vande Bharat sleeper trains would be introduced. He also said that Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw was competing with the Civil Aviation Ministry by improving railway infrastructure and capacity.

Visakhapatnam MP M. Sribharat, Rajya Sabha Member Golla Babu Rao, Mayor G. Hari Venkata Kumari, MLAs P.G.V.R. Naidu, P. Vishnu Kumar Raju, Palla Srinivasa Rao and Divisional Railway Manager Saurabh Prasad were among those present.