Title - Minister For Railways, Shri Pawan Kumar Bansal flags off New Shatabdi Express Train between Chandiga

NEW DELHI
Date 14.01.2013
Hon’ble Minister For Railways, Shri Pawan Kumar Bansal flags off 12046/12045 Chandigarh-New Delhi-Chandigarh Shatabdi Express (Non Stop) Train from Chandigarh Railway Station today in presence of Hon’ble Mayor, Chandigarh, Shri Subhash Chawla,Member Mechanical, Railway Board, Shri Keshav Chandra, General Manager, Northern Railway, Shri V.K. Gupta, Chief Mechanical Engineer, Shri Ashwani Lohani, Chief Security Commissioner/RPF Shri Harananda, Divisional Railway Manager, Ambala, Shri P.K.Sanghi. Senior Railway Officers and the local citizens were also present and witnessed the flagging off function.
The new 12046/12045 Chandigarh-New Delhi-Chandigarh Shatabdi Express (Non Stop) will run six days a week (except Sunday). Comprising of One Executive A.C. Chair Car & Nine A.C. Chair Car coaches, the 12046 Chandigarh-New Delhi Shatabdi Express will depart from Chandigarh at 11.40 a.m. to reach New Delhi at 3.00 p.m. the same day. In the return direction, the 12045 New Delhi- Chandigarh Shatabdi Express train will depart from New Delhi at 7.15 p.m. to reach Chandigarh at 10.35 p.m. the same day.
Two pairs of Shatabdi trains are already running between New Delhi and Kalka passing through Chandigarh, the 12005/06 and 12011/12 Shatabdi Expresses. There was a huge demand to introduce an exclusive service between Chandigarh and New Delhi at convenient timings from either end. This new service which is being introduced between Chandigarh and New Delhi as train No. 12045/46, meets with the aspirations of the travellers. This train is worked by state-of-the-art newly manufactured LHB coaches that have numerous passenger friendly features over the conventional coaches. These LHB coaches have a longer stainless steel body of 23.54m length, with higher seating capacity with better riding and safety features.
Chandigarh is part of the rail network of the Delhi-Ambala section, which was built in the years 1891-1893. Initially a part of the Delhi Division, it now lies in the jurisdiction of the re-constituted Ambala Division since 1987. As the State Capital of Haryana & Punjab and in itself a designated Union territory, Chandigarh is the veritable hub of major economic activities in the Northern region.It also houses the Punjab University and the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education & Research. It also has Engineering, Architecture, Medical and Management Institutes, this in turn leading to rapid urbanization of the adjacent regions.
With the introduction of this first Shatabdi service between Chandigarh-New Delhi, the rail travel between these cities will not only be strengthened, Northern Railway will also renew its commitment to provide more comfortable and faster train service to rail passengers.The public available at the flagging off function were very happy.