New Delhi,Dec.03: After Train 18 speeds up to 180 kmph between Kota Junction and Kurlasi station during a trial on Sunday, efforts are underway to launch the first service on Ex-PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s birth anniversary on December 25 between New Delhi and Varanasi.
As the input cost of the Rs. 100-crore train is high, the fare structure will also be higher than the fare of other trains.
However, a senior Railway official added that the decision on the launch date and fare of Train 18 are yet to be taken as the trial is not yet complete.
“Christmas Day also happens to be the birthday of late Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and it would be a tribute to the great statesman of the country if we manage to launch the next-generation train on that day,” a senior Railways official told IANS.
According to tentative plan, Train 18 will start from New Delhi station at 6 am and is expected to reach Varanasi at 2 pm.
For the outward journey, the train will start at 2.30 pm from Varanasi and reach New Delhi Railway Station at 10.30 pm.
Prasanta Patnaik