The journey between Mumbai and Ahmedabad is all set to become smoother, as an air-conditioned double-decker superfast express, which has been introduced on the Western Railway, made its maiden run from Mumbai on Thursday.
The train will depart from Mumbai Central at 2.20 pm from Monday to Saturday and reach Ahmedabad at 9.40 pm. In its return journey, the train will depart from Ahmedabad at 6 am from Monday to Saturday and reach Mumbai Central at 1 pm. It was in 1970 when the Flying Rani — a double-decker train between Mumbai and Surat — was introduced on the WR. However, passengers on the lower deck complained of dust coming into their compartments, and hence the Indian Railways decided to come up with AC double-decker trains. This is the third double-decker train to be launched by the Railways, after it started plying AC double-deckers between Howrah and Dhanbad and between Delhi and Jaipur.
“The train comprises chair-car seats, which can accommodate 1,500 passengers, that is 50 per cent more than the Shatabdi’s capacity,” said Sharat Chandrayan, WR’s chief public relations officer.
The train, enabled with GPS, will give passengers updates on the exact time the train will reach the next station. The train is also fitted with Controlled Discharge Toilet System that will only discharge the waste when the train attains a speed of 45kmph, to avoid waste disposal at railway stations.
The train fare to Surat will be `318, `406 for Vadodara and `471 for Ahmedabad.