Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated and laid the foundation stone of various Indian Railways projects worth Rs 85,000 crore through virtual means on Tuesday.

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, who participated in the program virtually from his official residence in Lucknow, expressed gratitude to PM Modi for initiating three new Vande Bharat trains in Uttar Pradesh and extending the Lucknow-Gorakhpur Vande Bharat train to Prayagraj.

It is noteworthy that PM Modi gifted as many as 10 new Vande Bharat trains to the country on the occasion. Among these, he also flagged off the Vande Bharat trains between Lucknow-Dehradun, Patna-Lucknow, and Ranchi-Varanasi. Additionally, the Gorakhpur-Lucknow Vande Bharat Express has been extended to Prayagraj. Goods trains of the dedicated freight corridor were also flagged off during the event to facilitate transportation of goods.

Expressing gratitude to PM Modi on social media platform X, the CM said the proposed rail projects would accelerate the development of the nation.

During the program, PM Modi emphasised that the nation has taken a significant stride towards achieving a ‘Viksit Bharat.’ He highlighted the inauguration and foundation laying of projects exceeding Rs 1 lakh crore, with railway projects alone amounting to more than Rs 85 thousand crores.

PM Modi said, “Keeping in mind the public sentiments, the Central Government is expanding the number of Vande Bharat trains as well as their routes. In this sequence, the Gorakhpur-Lucknow Vande Bharat Express will now go to Prayagraj.”

The PM emphasised the significance of the new trains and the expansion of the Lucknow-Varanasi till Prayagraj in view of the next edition of Kumbh Mela, scheduled to be held in 2025. Additionally, PM Modi mentioned the Aastha special trains to Ayodhya, stating that the government, imbibing the mantra of heritage and development, is promoting faith-based tourism.

“Today, Bharat Gaurav trains are running on the Ramayana Circuit, Gurukripa Circuit, and Jain Yatra in the country. Not only this, Aastha special trains are taking Ram devotees from all over the country to Ayodhya. Till now, about 350 Aastha trains have operated, providing darshan of Shri Ram Lala to over 4.5 lakh devotees,” he said.