Before starting on its maiden journey from Mumbai to Goa, India’s newest train Tejas Express was vandalised by unknown miscreants. Some of the windows on the train were found smashed when it stopped in Delhi before leaving for Mumbai. It was on its way from Kapurthala, where it was manufactured.
After this shocking incident, D.K. Sharma, General Manager of Central Railways was quoted saying that it is not a serious issue and the windows would be quickly repaired. The train was finally flagged off on Monday, May 22nd, 2017 from Mumbai to Goa by Union Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu. This futuristically-styled train is a huge undertaking of the Government. Mr Prabhu during his budget speech in 2016 said, that Tejas would “showcase the future of travelling by trains in India.”
The Tejas Express is fitted with German coaches with LED screens, Wi-Fi connectivity and CCTV cameras. It features 13 coaches with centrally-controlled doors. Fire and smoke detectors are located in the bio-vacuum toilets of the train. Catering services for this train will be managed by the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC). Snack tables and coffee vending machines are available in every coach of this train.
The Executive Class fare of Tejas has been fixed at INR 2,540 without food and INR 2,940 with food. The Chair Car fare has been fixed at INR 1,850 with food and INR 1,220 without food. While the fares are cheaper than flights, they are higher than the fares of Shatabdi Express that runs on the same route.
