Mumbai: Warm response to two new Vande Bharat services to Shirdi and Solapur

The two new Mumbai-Solapur and Mumbai-Sainagar Shirdi Vande Bharat services have received a good response with 80% occupancy. On Feb 12-13, the CSMT-Sainagar Shirdi Vande Bharat witnessed 73% occupancy, while the return train was 85% full. A total of 3,565 passengers travelled in both directions on these two days.

The CSMT-Solapur Vande Bharat operated six services between Feb 11 and Feb 13 with an average of 87.5% occupancy. While the services up to Solapur registered an average occupancy of 93%, the return trains registered average occupancy of 82%. A total of 5,932 passengers used the services on those days.

The train comprises 14 AC chair car coaches and two Executive AC chair car coaches with a capacity of 1,024 and 104 seats, totalling to 1,128.

A delighted passenger Vilas Shinde said the timings are “very suitable” and devotees can complete the Shirdi trip in one day by train. Another frequent traveller Ramesh Chavan was happy that the travel time between the two cities has reduced drastically.

The Solapur-CSMT train departs at 6.05am every day except Thursday and arrives at CSMT at 12.35pm. The train leaves CSMT every day except Wednesday at 4.05pm and reaches Solapur at 10.40pm. It halts at Dadar, Kalyan, Pune and Kurduwadi. The train covers 455km in six hours and 30 minutes, while the existing superfast trains take seven hours and 55 minutes, thus saving almost 90 minutes of travel time.

Mumbai-Sainagar Shirdi Vande Bharat leaves CSMT at 6.20am every day except Tuesday and arrives at Sainagar Shirdi at 11.40am. On the way back, it leaves Sainagar Shirdi at 5.25pm except Tuesday and arrives at CSMT at 10.50pm. It covers 343km in five hours and 20 minutes.