At the virtual event, the PM said the Statue of Unity was attracting more tourists than even the Statue of Liberty. “More than 50 lakh visitors have come to the site after it was dedicated to the nation in 2018 and the visitation is catching up now. As the connectivity improves, about one lakh visitors per day are expected in Kevadiya,” the PM said.
The eight trains flagged off today will boost connectivity between Kevadiya and Chennai, Varanasi, Rewa, Dadar and Delhi and will script a new chapter in the development of Kevadiya, the PM said.
He referred to the Dedicated Freight Corridor project as “an example of the way things functioned in our country in the past”.
“A few days ago, I inaugurated a large section (of the Dedicated Freight Corridor). On this very important project, in eight years work was done only on paper. From 2006 till 2014, not even one km track was laid. Now, in the next few months, 1,100-km work will be completed,” he said.
PM Modi also inaugurated three railway stations and a broad-gauge line connecting Dabhoi to Kevadia via video link on Sunday.
“The amount of work done to modernise the country’s railway infrastructure in recent years is unprecedented,” he said.
“Today, Kevadia is no longer a small place in a remote area of Gujarat. It is emerging as the world’s biggest tourist destination,” he said.
The Ahmedabad-Kevadia Jan Shatabdi Express, one of the eight trains, is equipped with the Vistadome coach, which offers large viewing areas with rooftop glasses and seats for passengers.
He paid tributes to AIADMK founder MG Ramachandran as he mentioned the train connecting Kevadia to Chennai, which was flagged off from MGR Chennai Central station.