Tourist destinations including Jodhpur, Mt Abu, Palanpur and Sabarmati will now be connected with the latest Vande Bharat trains that will enhance connectivity between Rajasthan and Gujarat as it will complete the journey in six hours and 10 minutes.
So far, the fastest trains between Jodhpur and Sabarmati used to take around eight hours. The Vande Bharat train will be inaugurated on Friday by the Prime Minister and commercial journeys will start from Sunday.
This is the second Vande Bharat for both Rajasthan and Gujarat. Poll-bound Rajasthan got its first Vande Bharat in April between Ajmer and Delhi. The first Vande Bharat for Gujarat was flagged off in September 2022 and was India’s third semi-high speed.
According to ministry officials, Jodhpur-Sabarmati Vande Bharat will improve connectivity to famous places such as Jodhpur, Abu Road and Ahmedabad as well as will boost socio-economic development in the region.
“A lot of movement between the two regions takes place. The train will halt at Mahesana, Palanpur, Abu Road, Falna and Pali Marwar stations in both directions. This Vande Bharat will ease the journey for tourists as well as people travelling for business,” the official said.
The next regular fastest train on the route is Surya Nagari, originating from Jodhpur, that takes 7 hours 50 minutes, and is almost always packed and runs all days of the week, they added. The cost of 3AC is Rs 790 and for second AC it is Rs 1,100 and for first AC it is 1,849.
Jat Adi Express, originating from Jammu, also runs daily between the two stations and completes the journey in seven hours and 40 minutes. The third AC costs Rs 730 and second AC costs Rs 1,035. This train does not have a first AC class.
The eight-coach Vande Bharat will run six days a week except for Tuesdays. There will be 405 chair car and 39 executive class seats in the train. The cost of a chair car seat between Jodhpur and Sabarmati will be Rs 1,115 and for the executive class it will be Rs 2,130. The executive class of the Vande Bharat will be costlier than the first AC travel on the route.
Vande Bharat train 12461 will depart from Jodhpur at 5.55 am and will reach Ahmedabad (Sabarmati) at 12.05 pm. On its way back, train 12462 will depart from Ahmedabad (Sabarmati) at 4.45 pm and will reach Jodhpur at 10.55 pm.
Even though this will be the fastest train on the Jodhpur-Sabarmati route, Rajdhani will continue to be the fastest on the Abu Road-Sabarmati stretch. While Vande Bharat will take 2 hours and 55 minutes, Rajdhani can cover the distance in two hours and 36 minutes only.
So far, 23 Vande Bharats are operating in India.
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