Chhattisgarh CM Vishnu Deo Sai flags off new Jabalpur-Raipur daily express train
Indian Railways on Sunday introduced the Jabalpur-Raipur Express, a new train scheduled to operate daily between the two cities.
Numbered 11701/11702, the Jabalpur-Raipur Express will depart Jabalpur at 6 am and arrive in Raipur at 1.50 pm.
On the return journey, it will leave Raipur at 2.45 pm and reach Jabalpur at 10.45 pm, running all seven days of the week.
The nearly eight-hour-long journey will include around eight halts. The express train will stop at Madan Mahal, Nainpur, Balaghat, Gondia, Dongargarh, Rajnandgaon, and Durg, providing improved travel access for commuters.
The train comprises a total of fifteen coaches and is expected to offer a convenient, safe, and comfortable travel experience for passengers, according to a post by South Western Railway on its X handle.
Trains such as the Amarkantak Express (12853), Durg-Jabalpur Special (01702), and Durg-Bhopal Special (02853), which currently operate between Jabalpur and Raipur, may see reduced passenger loads following the launch of this new service.
By travelling on the new Jabalpur-Raipur Express, passengers will be able to cover a distance of approximately 341 kilometres in about eight hours.
Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai flagged off the Raipur-Jabalpur Express from platform number 7 (Durg end) of Raipur station at 9:30 am on Sunday, as reported by Dainik Jagran.
The Chief Minister thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw for launching the new train service and said the people of Chhattisgarh would benefit from the improved connectivity, according to PTI.
Union Minister for Railways, Information and Broadcasting, and Electronics and Information Technology, Ashwini Vaishnaw (via video conferencing), Chhattisgarh Legislative Assembly Speaker Dr Raman Singh, MP Brijmohan Agarwal, South East Central Railway General Manager Tarun Prakash, RPF Inspector General Munnawar Khurshid, and Divisional Railway Manager Dayanand were also reportedly present at the inauguration.
This new rail service is expected to make it easier for passengers to access popular tourist destinations such as Nandanvan Zoological Park, Maa Bamleshwari Temple, Kanha National Park, Bhedaghat, and Dhuandhar Waterfall, the report added.
