Kolhapur: The much-awaited Mahalaxmi Express between Kolhapur and Mumbai will resume from February 1.
The railways had planned to resume the service in October along with a Gondia-bound train. While the Gondia bound train restarted, the Mahalaxmi Express operations continued to remain shut. On February 1, the train will restart from Kolhapur’s Rajarshi Shahu Maharaj Terminus and will reach Mumbai next day.
General manager of Central Railways Sanjeev Mittal confirmed the development and said that a notification has been issued in this connection. While earlier the train had 21 coaches, it will now have 18 coaches, including ten general coaches which will be subsequently increased depending on the turnout of passengers.
Currently, passengers have to take a bus to travel between Kolhapur and Mumbai and the fares are costly. The train service is much cheaper than bus and, so the passenger turnout is expected to be high.
The online bookings for the train service will restart on January 25 and passengers with confirmed tickets will only be allowed to board the train.
Speaking to media through web-link, Mittal said the project to lay new rail line between Kolhapur and Vaibhavwadi in Konkan has been stuck due to insufficient funds.
