Hon’ble Minister of State for Railways & Textiles, Smt. Darshana Jardosh flagged off the newly converted Linke Hofmann Busch (LHB) rake of Train No. 12921/12922 Mumbai Central – Surat Flying Ranee Express from Mumbai Central station on 16th July 2023, in a function held at the Station Concourse. Smt. Jardosh flagged off this iconic train in the august presence of Hon’ble MP Shri Gopal Shetty and Hon’ble MLA Smt. Manisha Chaudhary. Hon’ble MoSR also travelled in this immensely popular train with passengers up to Surat. At Surat station, Hon’ble MLAs Shri Kishorbhai Kanani (Kumar), Shri Pravinbhai Ghoghari, Shri Kantibhai Balar, Shri Arvind Rana and Shri Manubhai M. Patel will be present to welcome the train.
According to a press release issued by Shri Sumit Thakur – Chief Public Relations Officer of Western Railway, Hon’ble MoSR Smt. Jardosh in her address to the gathering expressed her delight and stated that it is a proud moment for Mumbai and Surat that this iconic train gets another makeover. She also emphasised that the new LHB rake will provide extra comfort and ensure enhanced safety of passengers.
HON’BLE MOSR SMT. DARSHANA JARDOSH FLAGGED OFF THE NEWLY CONVERTED. Adding to the historical aspect of this train, Shri Thakur stated that the popular Mumbai – Surat Flying Ranee Express first started chugging in 1906. The train was named as Flying Ranee by the wife of the then District Superintendent of Bulsar (now Valsad) at Bombay Central before a large gathering. It was then stopped intermittently in between and has been on tracks ever since, circa 1950. This iconic train has been catering to the needs of the people between Mumbai & Surat with all dedication. In 1965, the Flying Ranee achieved another milestone when it was declared the fastest medium – distance train in the country. At the same time, it changed colour, and was given a distinct light and dark coat of blue by Western Railway. In November 1976, the train was painted a shade of light and dark green. It then started its run on electric traction from June 1977. On December 18, 1979, the Flying Ranee became the first train in the history of the Indian Railways to be attached with the double-decker coaches. This train is popular with passengers, merchants and traders as it connected the two commercial centres.
