Pune-Shirdi Express launched; Ashwini Vaishnaw outlines nearly Rs 2 lakh crore railway investment

4 min readPuneJun 18, 2026 12:00 AM IST

“The first operational section of the Mumbai-Ahmedabad Bullet Train Project will start in 2027, eventually drawing the cities of Hyderabad, Pune, Thane, Vapi, Mumbai, and Ahmedabad closer,” Vaishnaw added.

Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw and Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Wednesday flagged off the inaugural run of the Pune-Sainagar Shirdi Express and laid the foundation stone for a yard remodelling project at Pune railway station.

Fadnavis joined the ceremony via video conferencing, while Vaishnaw was present in person alongside Union Minister of State for Cooperation and Civil Aviation Murlidhar Mohol, Maharashtra Legislative Council Chairman Ram Shinde, Higher and Technical Education Minister Chandrakant Patil, MLC Vivek Kolhe, and other dignitaries. Central Railway General Manager Rajeev Shrivastava and other railway officials were also in attendance.

Later in the day, Vaishnaw flagged off the Pune-Danapur (Bihar) Amrit Bharat Express from Hadapsar.

‘Mega terminal for a growing city’

Speaking at Pune station, Vaishnaw pointed to the city’s expanding population as the driver behind a planned infrastructure overhaul. “Pune has a population of over 70 lakh, and the number of passengers is growing rapidly. Pune needs a mega terminal,” he said.

He outlined investments worth Rs 600 crore, covering yard remodelling at Pune station; construction of six new platforms, alongside extensions to the existing six, bringing the total to 12; a new entry point at Pune station; a terminal at Alandi; and a coaching maintenance depot at Ghorpadi. The upgrades are expected to allow 20 additional train services to operate from Pune.

Responding to the announcements, Mohol said, “The Pune-Sainagar Shirdi daily train service has fulfilled a long-standing demand of millions of Sai devotees. It will make travel easier, safer, and more time-efficient, while also providing a boost to religious tourism, trade, and the local economy of Pune and Ahilyanagar. The redevelopment of Pune Railway Station, valued at Rs 473 crore, is aimed at building infrastructure that can serve the city’s needs over the coming decades,” he said.

Rs 2 lakh cr investment

Addressing the media, Vaishnaw underlined the scale of railway investment flowing into the state. “Nearly Rs 2 lakh crore of railway investment is being made in Maharashtra,” he said, adding that Chief Minister Fadnavis had put forward a proposal to connect JNPT and Vadhvan, two major ports, with Vidarbha and Marathwada through the Samruddhi Mahamarg as a dedicated freight corridor. “This will provide direct connectivity to approximately 75 per cent of Maharashtra’s area. The target of 8 per cent reduction in logistics costs will be achieved,” he said.

Story continues below this ad

He also noted that the East-West Dedicated Freight Corridor would connect North Maharashtra, giving the region direct access to Vadhavan port on the West Coast. “The state will benefit from two more dedicated freight corridors, bringing increased economic activity,” he added.

132 stations redeveloped across Maharashtra

Vaishnaw also spoke about the redevelopment programme underway across the state. “Work on the redevelopment of 132 stations in Maharashtra is progressing on a war footing,” he said, listing Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT), Pune, Hadapsar, Kolhapur, Satara, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Jalna, Nashik Road, and Nagpur among them.

He noted that carrying out large-scale construction without suspending train services adds a layer of complexity that most other countries avoid by shutting operations down entirely during such work.

On future connectivity, Vaishnaw outlined what the bullet trains could mean for Pune. “When the bullet train comes, travel time between Pune and Mumbai, a 170-km corridor, will be just 48 minutes, and between Pune and Hyderabad, a 500-km route, it will be 2 hours and 8 minutes,” he said.

Story continues below this ad

“The first operational section of the Mumbai-Ahmedabad Bullet Train Project will start in 2027, eventually drawing the cities of Hyderabad, Pune, Thane, Vapi, Mumbai, and Ahmedabad closer,” Vaishnaw added.

© The Indian Express Pvt Ltd

Shubham Kurale is a journalist based in Pune and has studied journalism at the Ranade Institute. He primarily reports on transport and is interested in covering civic issues, sports, gig workers, environmental issues, and queer issues. X:@ShubhamKurale1 ... Read More

Click here to join Express Pune WhatsApp channel and get a curated list of our stories

Tags:

Ashwini Vaishnaw

pune