Union Minister for Railways and Electronics & Information Technology Ashwini  Vaishnaw, on Saturday, announced a new express train, Kashi-Tamil Sangamam Express between Varanasi and Tamil Nadu. The train is being launched to commemorate the KasiTamil Sangamam event at Varanasi.

On a visit to the Tamil Sangaman in the partiamentary constituency of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the railway minister that said the new train will start soon.

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The PM had inaugurated the Tamil Sangamam on November 19 last. He interacted with the delegates from Tamil Nadu who were invited to witness the Kashi Tamil Sangamam. He also inspected the redevelopment plan of Varanasi Junction Railway Station.

Vaishnaw interacted with the delegates of the eighth batch who shared their experiences of the tour and how they were well taken care of.

He lauded the efforts of the Ministry of Railways and IRCTC team which helped in making this event a success. He said such people-to-people exchange will help bring the traditions, knowledge and cultures closer, while building an understanding of shared heritage and strengthen ties between the peoples of these two regions.

The Railway minister also reviewed the redevelopment plans for the Varanasi Junction Railway Station keeping future traffic increases in mind. While inspecting the station, he said its redevelopment into a world-class railway station is in line with the PM’s vision of making a railway station to look like an airport terminal. He added that about Rs 7,000 crore would be spent on revamping the station to make it one of the best in the world.

Vaishnaw said that the redevelopment would be done with a plan for 50 years ahead. In order to ease the burden of heavy footfall of passengers at the stations in the Varanasi city an integrated development would be undertaken.

He also said that sleeper Vande Bharat manufacturing would commence soon to provide modern amenities to the passengers.

Kashi Tamil Sangamam is a month-long programme organised by the Ministry of Education as a part of Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav. Delegates from different walks of life are invited to witness the festival at Kashi. The Ministry of Railways and IRCTC ferried the visitors to Kashi, Prayagraj and Ayodhya and provided hospitality to them.