Surat: Surat residents planning a quick getaway to Udaipur will soon have a faster option to reach the popular tourist destination in Rajasthan, with the Railways clearing a new Vande Bharat service between the two cities.In an important decision, the ministry of railways has approved a Vande Bharat train connecting Surat and Udaipur. The service will be the first Vande Bharat to originate and terminate in Surat, giving the city a direct premium train link to Udaipur.The train, numbered 26903, will depart from Surat at 6.10am on all days except Tuesday and reach Udaipur at 1.40pm. The return service, numbered 26904, will operate from Udaipur to Surat.The road journey from Surat to Udaipur is about 8-9 hours, depending on the traffic and stops.“We have received communication that the Vande Bharat service between Surat and Udaipur has received the ministry’s approval. The train is expected to start within a few days,” a railway official said.The train will halt at Bharuch, Vadodara, Anand, Maninagar, Asarwa, Himmatnagar, Shamalaji Road, Dungarpur and Zawar in both directions.The service is expected to find takers among Surat residents, who travel to Udaipur in large numbers for holidays and destination weddings. With the Ahmedabad-Mumbai Vande Bharat trains frequently running at high occupancy, the new service will also provide Surtis another Vande Bharat option for travelling towards Ahmedabad.With the launch of the Surat-Udaipur service, the existing Udaipur-Asarwa Vande Bharat (26963/26964) will be discontinued.
