Scores of Bhopal residents gathered at the redeveloped Rani Kamalapati railway station with enthusiasm to get a glimpse of the 11th Vande Bharat Express, which was flagged off by Prime Minister Narendra Modi here on Saturday.

The train between Bhopal and Delhi will cover a distance of 708 km in seven and a half hours.

One of the residents, Arpan Pal, said the new Vande Bharat Express will save time of the commuters and will also enable people to travel on the route regularly.

Pal, who was one of the passengers of the train, said, “The Indian Railways has provided us with options for high-speed trains now. There are several such trains to choose from. It will save time of the commuters and will also help people travel on the route regularly.” The Vande Bharat Express can hit a maximum speed of 160 km per hour on the Bhopal-New Delhi route. Other high-speed trains that travel on the route are Shatabdi and Rajdhani express. Another resident, Preeti Patel, lauded the new high-speed train and also the redeveloped Rani Kamalapati railway station.

“I came here with my family to get a glimpse of the Vande Bharat Express. I'm also glad to see the redeveloped station. The lifts and lounge facilities will be extremely helpful for my ailing mother,” the 26-year-old said.

She said the railway station's interior has improved and “looks similar to an airport”.

“The station looks very neat and clean. The redeveloped station looks more like an airport,” she added. With facilities like multiple waiting lounges, food stalls, restaurants and retail stores, the revamped Rani Kamalapati station looks similar to a mini mart. Multiple tea, coffee and food stalls have been set up at the two-floor railway station with one food court at the top floor and one at the ground floor.

Another resident of Bhopal, Shakuntala Arya, who runs a grocery shop, said they expect the “fares of Vande Bharat to be reasonable to all”.

“I have come to watch the launch of Vande Bharat. Even the station looks completely different now after the redevelopment. However, the fares of the Vande Bharat Express should be reasonable,” Shakuntala said.

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