Central Railway has decided to regularise the current bi-weekly Nagpur-Goa special train fulfilling the long standing demand of people from Vidarbha. The Ajni-Madgaon Express right now takes nearly 24 hours to cover the distance between the two centres. Train No. 01139/01140 Nagpur-Madgaon runs on special charges and now will be run as 11203/11204, which the Railways said, would offer greater convenience to the travellers. Goa has been always a major tourist destination and the Madgaon train connecting North Goa with Vidarbha heralded a new chapter in tourism circuit. Rail Yatri Sangh (RYS) had been consistent in raising the demand for running the service as a regular one as it would then ensure proper timing and instead of current adhoc system.

 

The newly designated bi-weekly express service will operate as per the following schedule: 11203 Nagpur–Madgaon Express will depart from Nagpur at 15:05 hrs every Wednesday and Saturday, reaching Madgaon at 17:45 hrs on Thursday and Sunday. In the return direction, 11204 Madgaon–Nagpur Express will leave Madgaon at 20:00 hrs on Thursday and Sunday, arriving at Nagpur at 21:30 hrs on Friday and Monday. The train has halts at Wardha, Pulgaon, Dhamangaon, Badnera, Akola, Shegaon, Malkapur, Bhusaval, Nasik Road, Igatpuri, Kalyan, Panvel, Roha, Mangaon, Khed, Chiplun, Sangameshwar Road, Ratnagiri, Rajapur Road, Kankavli, Kudal, Sawantwadi Road, Thivim and Karmali, ensuring connectivity across major regions.

 

Railway officials stated that the regularisation of this service is expected to benefit passengers by providing a dependable travel option, while also promoting tourism and economic activity along the route. Passengers are advised to check the updated timetable and plan their journeys accordingly. Brij Bhushan Shukla, Secretary, RYS, said, the move on the part of Central Railway is going to provide quite a relief to the travellers. The special train has got good patronage from travellers in the region. He, however, said, given the long distance, it would benefit the passengers if, the Railways can speed up the train run. The 24-hour journey is quite tiring and Railways should also rationalise the stoppages, he added.

 

 

The Central Railway (CR) will run 6 weekend special train services - 4 services between Mumbai and Nagpur and 2 services between Nagpur-Pune for catering the increased demand from the travellers during the summer season CSMT- Nagpur-CSMT Weekend Specials (4 services): Train no 01021 Weekend Special will depart from Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) at 00.30 hrs on May 1 (Friday) and May 3 (Sunday) and reach Nagpur at 15.45 hrs the same day respectively. Similarly, train no 01022 Weekend Special will depart from Nagpur at 21.40 hrs on May 1 (Friday) and May 3 (Sunday) and reach CSMT at 13.50 hrs the next day (2 services). Halts: Dadar, Thane, Kalyan, Igatpuri (only for 01022) , Nasik Road, Manmad, Jalgaon, Bhusawal, Malkapur, Shegaon, Akola, Murtizapur, Badnera, Dhamangaon and Wardha. Composition: 1 AC 3-Tier, 16 Sleeper Class, 2 General Second Class and 2 General second class-cum-guards brake van. Pune-Nagpur-Pune Weekend special (2 services): Train no 01467 Weekend Special will depart from Pune at 15.50 hrs on May 1 and arrive at Nagpur at 08.05 hrs next day (1 service). Similarly, Train no 01468 Weekend Special will depart from Nagpur at 07.00 hrs on May 3 and reach Pune at 23.30 hrs the same day (1 service). Halts: Uruli, Daund Chord Line, Ahilya Nagar, Belapur, Kopargaon, Manmad, Jalgaon, Bhusawal, Malkapur, Shegaon, Akola, Badnera, Dhamangaon and Wardha. Composition: 1 AC 2-Tier, 1 AC 3-Tier, 12 Sleeper Class, 4 General Second Class and 2 General second class-cum-guards brake van. Reservation: Bookings for Weekend Special train nos 01021, 01022, 01467 & 01468 on special charges have opened on April 29 at all computerised reservation centres and on www.irctc.co.in. Bookings for unreserved coaches with normal charges can be done through the UTS system.