PM visit: New Vande Bharat trains to boost pilgrim tourism in Maharashtra

Mumbai, Feb 9 Prime Minister Narendra Modi will flag off two new Vande Bharat trains from here on Friday which will connect the major pilgrimage centres in Maharashtra and give a fillip to the thriving religious tourism circuit, officials said on Thursday.

The Prime Minister will flag off the Mumbai-Solapur and Mumbai-Sainagar Shirdi Vande Bharat trains from the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus on Friday afternoon.

The Mumbai-Solapur train will transport pilgrims to the famed temples and religious sites of Siddheshwar, Akkalkot, Tuljapur, Pandharpur and even Alandi in the vicinity.

Similarly, the Mumbai-Sainagar Shirdi train will serve devotees going to Trimbakeshwar, Shirdi's Saibaba Temple, Shani Singanapur, and other important locations in that region, besides the Kumbh Mela held in Nashik every 12 years, the next due in 2027.

While Solapur district is ranked as the spiritual capital of Maharashtra, Nashik is billed as the pilgrimage capital, both attracting millions of worshippers round the year from all over India and abroad, besides tourists.