In a major boost for commuters across Marathwada, the long-awaited Nanded-Pune Vande Bharat Express is set to roll out by December 2025. The decision comes after sustained efforts by MP Ravindra Chavan, with Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw giving the green signal on Monday, July 29.
Pune, a key hub for education and IT sectors, currently lacks a single daytime train from Nanded. This has made travel especially challenging for thousands of students and professionals from the region. In a memorandum to the minister, MP Chavan highlighted that a high-speed train via Nanded, Latur, and Dharashiv would benefit lakhs of passengers across the region. The Vande Bharat Express, covering a 550 km route, is expected to drastically reduce travel time while offering a faster and more comfortable alternative.
Chavan also raised concerns about the Panvel-Nanded Express (17613), which takes over 16 hours to complete a 646-km journey due to delays caused by loco-motive changes at Latur Road and Parli Vaijnath. He urged the Railway Ministry to speed up the train, pointing out that the Panvel-Kurduwadi leg (303 km) takes 6 hours 20 minutes, while the Kurduwadi-Nanded stretch (370 km) takes 10 hours 20 minutes.
To address these delays, Chavan demanded the quadrupling of lines at Latur Road and Parli Vaijnath stations. This, he said, would reduce engine change time, benefit 10-12 trains daily, and yield cost savings for Indian Railways.
He also reminded the minister of prior commitments, noting that the Ahilyanagar-Beed railway line has already commenced and the Beed-Parli Vaijnath stretch is expected to start by December 2025. He reiterated the demand for a new long-distance train connecting Nanded to New Delhi via Parli Vaijnath, Beed, Ahilyanagar, and Pune.