Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar
The extended Jalna–Mumbai Vande Bharat Express, recently shifted to Nanded, will make its inaugural run on Tuesday (26th). But the occasion brings little joy to regular passengers, as no booking facility has been provided for the trip. Only invitees will be allowed to travel, leaving the 20-coach train to Mumbai without a single ticket-holding passenger.
The inauguration ceremony will be held at Nanded at 10 am, after which the train will depart at 11.20 am. It is scheduled to arrive at Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar at 2.48 pm for a brief two-minute halt before proceeding to Mumbai, reaching there at 9.55 pm. Many commuters, hoping to get a rare chance to travel by Vande Bharat in place of Tapovan Express, rushed to book tickets online. But the system showed no availability. Some even turned up at ticket counters, only to be told that the run was limited to the inauguration and no reservations were open. Railway officials later confirmed that seats for passengers had not been released at all. Instead, the train will carry elected representatives, railway union office-bearers, social media influencers and rail enthusiasts from Nanded for its first journey.
Concerns at Sambhajinagar
The decision to shift the Vande Bharat to Nanded has already stirred protests. With apprehensions of demonstrations at Sambhajinagar station, railway authorities had not scheduled any local inauguration event until late Monday evening. Officials admitted their main worry was the possibility of agitators turning up at the station.