Prime Minister Narendra Modi virtually inaugurated and laid the foundation stone of various Indian Railways projects worth Rs 85,000 crore on Tuesday. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, who also participated in the programme virtually from his official residence in Lucknow, expressed gratitude to PM Modi for initiating three new Vande Bharat trains in Uttar Pradesh and extending the Lucknow-Gorakhpur Vande Bharat to Prayagraj.

PM Modi gifted as many as 10 new Vande Bharat trains to the country on the occasion. Among these, he also flagged off Vande Bharat trains between Lucknow-Dehradun, Patna-Lucknow, and Ranchi-Varanasi. Additionally, the Gorakhpur-Lucknow Vande Bharat Express has been extended to Prayagraj.

Goods trains of the dedicated freight corridor were also flagged off to facilitate transportation of goods.

Expressing gratitude to Modi on social media platform X, the CM said that these projects would accelerate the country’s development.

During the programme, Modi emphasised that the country nation has taken a significant stride towards achieving a ‘Viksit Bharat.’ He highlighted the inauguration and foundation laying of projects exceeding Rs 1 lakh crore, with railway projects alone amounting to more than Rs 85,000 crore.

“Keeping in mind public sentiments, the Central government is expanding the number of Vande Bharat trains as well as their routes. In this sequence, the Gorakhpur-Lucknow Vande Bharat Express will now go up to Prayagraj,” PM Modi said.

He emphasised the significance of the new trains and expansion of the Lucknow-Varanasi Vande Bharat up to Prayagraj in view of the next edition of Mahakumbh to be held in 2025. Additionally, PM Modi mentioned Aastha special trains to Ayodhya, stating that the government, imbibing the mantra of heritage and development, is promoting faith-based tourism.

“Today, Bharat Gaurav trains are running on the Ramayana Circuit, Gurukripa Circuit, and Jain Yatra in the country. Not only this, Aastha special trains are taking Ram devotees from all over the country to Ayodhya. Till now, about 350 Aastha trains have operated, providing darshan of Shri Ram Lalla to over 4.5 lakh devotees,” he added.