RailEnquiry

NASHIK: In a bid to cater to the great holiday rush in the summer months, the railways will start a new train between Nashik and Mumbai from Friday. To be run till June 1, the train will run between Nashik Road railway station here and Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus in Mumbai.The train, 01035 Dn, will leave Mumbai's CST at 10.15am and arrive at 2.20pm in Nashik, while the 01036 Up will depart Nashik Road at 3.35pm and arrive at 8.10pm in Mumbai. Meanwhile, there was confusion among railway officials about the train and the duration that it would run. The officials at Bhusawal division were unable to confirm about the train but a railway official from Mumbai confirmed that it will start running from Friday. However, they were not sure whether it would be a temporary arrangement or would it continue after June 1."If at all a train is being started, it could be a holiday special," said the railway official in Bhusawal. But another official said it was slightly difficult to comprehend why the railways would start a holiday special between two destinations that were a mere 188 km away and there was no seasonal rush. Also, there were other modes of inter-city travel available that would meet the demand during the season, the official said.Sources point out that there has been a demand from the passengers for a train between the two cities."There was a long pending demand for a train from Mumbai to Nashik Road in the morning and back in the afternoon. It is in this time slot that the railways has chosen to introduce a train," a railway official said.But he dismissed the idea that the Rajya Rani Express rakes were being put to double-utility service as proposed by a Nashik-based NGO Rail Parishad. "Considering the time Rajya Rani reaches LTT (Lokmanya Tilak Terminus in Kurla) and the time this train leaves Mumbai, they hardly match. But this study could further help to reduce and adjust timings wherever required to ensure that Rajya Rani rakes can be substituted for optimal use of infrastructure," the official said.