New Delhi, August 31: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said the railways has made big strides in addressing long-standing issues and will not stop till it becomes a guarantee of comfortable travel for all sections of society. The prime minister made these remarks during the virtual flag-off ceremony of three Vande Bharat Express trains.

"Through its hard work over the years, the railways has made big strides in addressing long-standing issues and offered new hopes and solutions. We will not stop until Indian Railways becomes a guarantee of comfortable travel for everyone," Modi said. The three trains flagged off by the prime minister connect Meerut with Lucknow, Madurai with Bengaluru, and Chennai with Nagercoil. Meerut-Lucknow Vande Bharat Express Incident: Passengers Allege Harassment by BJP Workers on Train Inaugurated by PM Narendra Modi Today (Watch Video).

Modi said faster growth of southern states is key to achieving the goal of a 'Viksit Bharat' by 2047. He said that an increased budgetary allocation to Tamil Nadu and Karnataka has strengthened rail transport in southern states. PM Narendra Modi Flags Off 3 Vande Bharat Express Trains via Video Conferencing To Enhance Connectivity (Watch Videos).

The Meerut City-Lucknow Vande Bharat Express will help passengers save around one hour compared to the current fastest train between the two cities. Similarly, the Chennai Egmore-Nagercoil Vande Bharat Express and the Madurai-Bengaluru Vande Bharat Express will cut down the travel time by more than two hours and around one-and-a-half hours respectively.