On 2nd trip to Mumbai in 3 weeks, PM Modi has a tight schedule

MUMBAI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will arrive here on his second trip in three weeks for a series of engagements, including the flagging off of two new Vande Bharat Express trains linking Mumbai with Solapur and Sainagar Shirdi, officials said.

Landing here this afternoon at the INS Shikra, the PM's schedule includes inauguration of the Vakola-Kurla and MTNL-Lal Bahadur Shastri elevated corridor arms of the Santacruz-Chembur Link Road, a critical east-west connector.

Modi will also open a vehicular underpass in Kurar village in north-Mumbai's Malad suburb connecting the Western Express Highway to ease traffic congestion in that area besides linking Kurar with Malad station.

Later, the PM will inaugurate the new campus of The Saifee Academy, 'Al Jamea-Tus-Saifiyah', prominent educational institution of the Dawoodi Bohra community, at Marol in Andheri east.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will flag off two new Vande Bharat train services here which will connect major pilgrimage centres in Maharashtra and give a fillip to the religious tourism circuit, officials said on Thursday.

The PM will show the green signal to Mumbai Solapur and Mumbai-Sainagar Shirdi Vande Bharat trains at the World Heritage Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus on Friday afternoon.

Present with the Prime Minister will be Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis, other ministers and senior officials at these events.

The Mumbai-Solapur Vande Bharat train will transport pilgrims to the famed temples and religious sites of Siddheshwar, Akkalkot, Tuljapur, Pandharpur and even Alandi in the vicinity.

Similarly, the Mumbai-Sainagar Shirdi Vande Bharat train will serve devotees going to Trimbakeshwar, Shirdi's Saibaba Temple, Shani Singanapur, and other important locations in that region, besides the Kumbh Mela held in Nashik every 12 years, the next due in 2027.

This is Modi's second visit to Mumbai in three weeks, the previous one being on January 19, when he inaugurated, dedicated and laid foundation stone ceremonies of infrastructure projects worth over Rs 38,000 crore, besides flagging off the Mumbai Metro Line 2A and Line 7.

PM Modi's two visits at a short interval are viewed as setting the stage for the upcoming BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections that are likely to be announced soon.