Efforts for Nagar–Pune Railway Line – CM Devendra Fadnavis

PM Flags Off Nagpur–Pune Vande Bharat Express

Nagpur, Aug 2025 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi today flagged off the Nagpur–Pune Vande Bharat Express through video conferencing. The inauguration ceremony was held on Platform No. 8 of Nagpur Central Railway Station in the presence of Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Union Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari.

MLAs Mohan Mate, Krishna Khopde, Praveen Datke, Central Railway General Manager Dharmveer Meena, Divisional Railway Manager Vinayak Garg, and other officials of Central Railway were present. The Prime Minister also flagged off the Bengaluru–Belgaum and Katra–Amritsar Vande Bharat Express trains during the same event.

The Nagpur (Ajni)–Pune Vande Bharat Express will cover the journey between Nagpur and Pune in about 12 hours, significantly reducing travel time. The train will halt at Wardha, Badnera, Akola, Bhusawal, Jalgaon, Manmad, Kopargaon, Ahilyanagar, and Daund before reaching Pune via the Daund chord line.

The station premises were decorated with garlands, festoons, flags, and flowers for the occasion. The Chief Minister and other officials extended best wishes to passengers. The event saw the participation of students, passengers, and citizens in large numbers. The CM said that modernizing the country’s railway network offers modern and faster travel options, and this new Vande Bharat will make travel to religious sites in Western Maharashtra and Vidarbha more convenient and faster, boosting trade, tourism, and employment opportunities.

Efforts for Ahilyanagar–Pune Railway Line
Speaking to the media after the event, CM Fadnavis said that many people from Vidarbha travel to Pune, but currently they have to rely on expensive private transport, which is also time-consuming. Considering this, the state government requested the Railway Minister to start a Nagpur–Pune train, to which he responded positively, resulting in this service. The Nagpur–Pune Vande Bharat Express will cover the longest distance among all Vande Bharat trains in the country.

Currently, trains traveling from Nagar to Pune via Daund have to take a detour of about 100–125 km. To address this, the Railway Ministry has been suggested to create a direct Nagar–Pune route, which will reduce both travel distance and time. Planning for this will be undertaken in the future.

The CM also said that Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Ahilyanagar, and Pune form an important industrial belt, and for its development, new railway routes are necessary. A new Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar–Pune expressway is planned, and if a railway line is considered within its right-of-way, travel distance can be reduced even further.