Mumbai-Ahmadabad Tejas Express to run from 19 January.

Mumbai-Ahmadabad Tejas Express to run from 19 January.

Indian railways are going to introduce its new Tejas express on 19^th Jan 2020. It will run between Mumbai and Ahmadabad six days a week except on Thursdays. On its inaugural day , Train no 09426 will leave Ahmadabad – Mumbai central Tejas express will leave Ahmadabad at 9:30hrs and will reach Mumbai central at 16:00 hrs. Similarly in return direction, train no 09425 Mumbai central- Ahmadabad will depart from Mumbai central at 17:15 hrs and arrive Ahmadabad at 23:30. It is the second Tejas express train operated by IRCTC(Indian railway catering and tourism corporation). Bringing in private train operators to provide world class passenger service was a proposal put forward by The railways in its 100 day plan.

The Tejas express is India’s first semi high speed fully air conditioned train introduced by Indian railways. Tejas means sharp, lustre and brilliance. The first Tejas express ran on 24 may 2014 from Mumbai to Goa, it covered 552km in 8hrs 30minutes. The train is designed to run at a maximum speed of 200km/hr (120mph) but the maximum speed allowed is 130km/hr due to track safety constraints. Presently train runs at an average speed of 65km/hr.

By the statement from western railway zone of Indian railways, Tejas express will offer world class comfort and facilities to passengers. It has several modern features including air condition, sliding doors, personalized reading lights, mobile charging points, attendant call buttons, bio toilets, automatic entry and  exit doors, CCTV, reclining facility, comfortable seats etc.

IRCTC will have rights to advertise inside and outside the coaches, including branding of trains. It can also modify inside the rake without affecting the structural safety.

IRCTC will be allowed to use the railways web portal for ticketing for a year and the revenue accounts of these two trains would be maintains separately. The Railway board has instructed IRCTC to develop their own ticketing system simultaneously.  The trains will have 18 coaches each. However IRCTC can run with 12 minimum coaches for one year period. The haulage charges would be calculated per trip based on number of coaches used per trip or 12 coaches whichever is higher. IRCTC is also contemplating the sale of merchandise goods on board to its passengers on these trains.