Prime Minister Narendra Modi today, will flag off eight trains connecting different parts of the nation with Kevadiya in Gujarat, where Vallabhbhai Patel's Statue of Unity is situated via video-conferencing. The purpose of this is to boost seamless connectivity to this region of Gujarat. Modi said on Saturday that the Kevadiya railway station is India's first with green building certification.
A total of 10 trains will be connected to Kevadiya, out of which 3 trains have been extended and 7 trains are newly introduced for their regular run.
The Prime Minister's Office (PMO) had previously on Friday, said that Modi will also inaugurate several other railway projects related to Gujarat during the event on Sunday via video-conferencing. He will launch new broad-gauge line and the new station buildings of Dabhoi, Chandod and Kevadiya.
"The projects will add fillip to the development activities in the nearby tribal regions, boost connectivity to important religious and ancient pilgrim places nestled on the banks of the Narmada river, increase both domestic and international tourism, act as a catalyst for overall socio-economic development of the region while helping generate new employment and business opportunities," the PMO said.
The eight trains being flagged off will connect Kevadiya to Varanasi, Dadar, Ahmedabad, Hazrat Nizamuddin, Rewa, Chennai and Pratapnagar. One of the new trains is the Jan Shatabdi Express between Ahmedabad and Kevadia which will have Vistadome coaches, Modi said and posted some pictures on twitter.
Foundation stone for railway station
In December 2018, President Ram Nath Kovind visited Kevadia, which is around 5 kilometres from the 182-metre tall Statue of Unity, and laid the foundation stone for the railway station.
The aim is to provide a direct rail link to the heavily patronised monument from Vadodara, a major Western Railway junction.
To connect Kevadia with the main line, the railways converted the 18-kilometre Dabhoi-Chandod narrow gauge line into broad gauge and connected Chandod with Kevadia by laying a 32-kilometre broad gauge line.
On 18 January, the prime minister would also lay foundation stones for two metro train services in Gujarat via video-conference.
