New Delhi/Bhuj, May 22 (IANS) A new direct rail link between Kutch and New Delhi was inaugurated on Friday with the launch of the Bhuj-Delhi Express service in the virtual presence of Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel and Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, as the state government highlighted ongoing railway expansion and infrastructure investment in Gujarat.

The train was flagged off from Bhuj railway station, with Patel joining the programme virtually from Gandhinagar and Vaishnaw participating from Pali in Rajasthan through virtual mode.

Addressing the event, Patel thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Railway Ministry for introducing direct rail connectivity between Kutch and Delhi and for approving the Ahmedabad-Dholera semi high-speed rail project.

“Indian Railways is an important link of transportation and under the visionary leadership of the Prime Minister, it has undergone large-scale transformation in the past 12 years,” Patel said.

Referring to the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High Speed Rail corridor, the Chief Minister said Gujarat had taken the lead in the country’s modern railway expansion through the bullet train project.

“The work of the country’s first bullet train is progressing in full swing,” he said, adding that nearly 348 km of the project was being constructed in Gujarat.

Patel said railway infrastructure development in Gujarat had gained momentum after 2014 under Modi’s guidance. “2,900 km of new railway tracks had been laid in the state since 2014, while railway projects worth Rs 1.28 lakh crore were currently under implementation in Gujarat,” he noted.

He further said Gujarat had been allocated Rs 17,366 crore in the Railway Budget for 2026-27, which he described as 29 per cent higher than the allocation made in 2014.

The Chief Minister also referred to the expansion of passenger rail services in the state and said Gujarat had received five Vande Bharat Express trains, one Amrit Bharat train and one Namo Bharat train.

He added that rail connectivity to Statue of Unity through Ekta Nagar station had improved access for visitors travelling to the tourist destination.

“I am confident that under the leadership of the Prime Minister and guidance of the Railway Minister, the ongoing ‘Amrit Kaal’ period would provide new momentum to railway development and contribute towards the creation of a developed India,” he asserted.

Minister of State, Trikam Chhanga, MP Vinod Chavda, legislators and office-bearers from Kutch district, senior railway officials and local residents were present at Bhuj railway station during the flagging-off ceremony.

–IANS

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