Udaipur: The Udaipur-Surat Vande Bharat Express commenced its service from Udaipur Railway Station at 3.35 pm, marking the beginning of the new rail connectivity between the two cities.
Railway Advisory Committee member Om Paliwal said the train was flagged off from Udaipur Railway Station by Railway Area Officer Awadhesh Kumar, Hotel Association president Rajesh Agrawal, Railway Advisory Committee member Om Paliwal, Sudarshan Dev Singh Karohi and Sardar Patel Mandal president Amrit Menaria. The loco pilot and railway officials were also welcomed on the occasion.
Paliwal said the train received a positive response on its inaugural day, with 324 of the 520 available seats booked. He added that the service had already begun showing waiting-list demand from the third day onwards.
Hotel Association president Rajesh Agrawal said the launch of the Udaipur-Surat-Udaipur Vande Bharat Express was made possible through the efforts of MP Mannalal Rawat. He said the new service was expected to facilitate travel for tourists visiting Udaipur from Gujarat and could contribute to increased tourist movement.
He added that the train would also be convenient for local businesspersons, traders, working professionals and students travelling between Udaipur and Gujarat.
Sandeep Boliya, Santosh Menaria, Ajay Singh Krishnawat and several other prominent citizens were present at the flag-off ceremony.