Bharuch gets Vande Bharat Express connectivity with new Surat-Udaipur train

Bharuch: Another district in Gujarat is getting connected with a Vande Bharat Express train. The district is Bharuch, which is set to get its first direct Vande Bharat Express connectivity with the launch of the new Surat-Udaipur City Vande Bharat Express, giving the key industrial hub in central Gujarat a faster and premium rail travel option to both South Gujarat and Rajasthan.

The new service, operated by Western Railway, will run between Surat and Udaipur City via Bharuch, Vadodara, Anand, Maninagar, Asarva, Himmatnagar, Shamlaji Road, Dungarpur and Zawar. The inaugural run is scheduled for October 2, while regular services will begin from October 3/4 in the respective directions. The train will operate six days a week, except Tuesday.

Train No. 26903 will leave Surat at 6.10 am and reach Udaipur City at 1.40 pm, while the return service, Train No. 26904, will depart Udaipur at 3.35 pm and reach Surat at 11 pm. The eight-coach Vande Bharat will have Executive Chair Car and AC Chair Car accommodation.

For Bharuch, the new train connection is significant as the district has so far been bypassed by the existing two Vande Bharat trains operating on the Ahmedabad-Surat corridor. The two current trains, Mumbai Central-Gandhinagar Capital Vande Bharat and Mumbai Central-Ahmedabad Vande Bharat, serve stations such as Surat and Vadodara but do not have a commercial halt at Bharuch.

The new train will therefore give passengers from Bharuch direct Vande Bharat access towards Udaipur as well as to Surat and the cities along the route. The Bharuch stop is also expected to be useful for business travellers, given the district’s importance as an industrial and commercial centre. Additionally, people travelling to Mumbai can also use this train to reach Surat and catch another train towards Mumbai from there.

This new train connection could also support tourism in and around central Gujarat. Bharuch is within road-travelling distance (around 95 km) of Ekta Nagar in Kevadia, home to the world’s largest statue, the Statue of Unity, and a major tourism destination. While the new Vande Bharat will not directly serve Ekta Nagar, its Bharuch stop could provide another rail access point for visitors travelling from Surat and Rajasthan who plan to combine Bharuch and the Narmada tourism circuit with their trip.

The new Surat-Udaipur service thus adds a new dimension to Bharuch’s rail connectivity, linking the industrial district directly with a major tourism centre in Rajasthan while creating an additional fast rail option for passengers travelling across Gujarat. DeshGujarat