New Delhi, Jan 16 (IANS): Union Railway and Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal and Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani will flag off the second Tejas Express train to be operated by the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) between Mumbai-Ahmedabad from Ahmedabad on Friday.
According to the IRCTC officials, Goyal along with Rupani, Railway Board Chairman V.K. Yadav, Western Railway General Manager Sanjeev Mittal and IRCTC MD S. Mall will flag off the train on its inaugural run.
The train, on its inaugural journey, will depart from Ahmedabad at 10.45 a.m. and reach Mumbai Central at 5.15 p.m. The all new air-conditioned Tejas Express train will commence its commercial run from January 19 with all the modern facilities between Ahmedabad and Mumbai Central.
The IRCTC said that the Tejas Express will run six days a week, except Thursdays. As per the schedule, the train will leave Ahmedabad at 6.40 a.m. and reach Mumbai Central railway station at 1.10 p.m., covering the entire distance of 533 km in 6 hours and 30 minutes.
It would only have six halts -- Nadiad, Vadodara, Bharuch, Surat, Vapi and Borivali stations. On its return journey, the train would leave Mumbai Central at 3.40 p.m. and reach Ahmedabad at 9.55 p.m.
In October, the IRCTC started the first Tejas Express train between Lucknow and New Delhi.
Tejas, which is India's first private train run by IRCTC, has an executive class air conditioned chair car with 56 seats and nine air-conditioned coaches with a capacity of 78 passengers each.
Meals will be served by on-board service staff in Ahmedabad-Mumbai Central Tejas Express. Tea and coffee vending machines will be available in the train. Water will be provided on demand through RO machines for passengers.
Tejas Express contains all the modern facilities with the state-of-art interior, personalised reading lights, AC coaches, mobile charging points, CCTV cameras, bio-toilets, LED TV, automatic doors and many more.
IRCTC is also contemplating the sale of merchandise goods on board to its passengers on these trains.