Railways to set up museum in memory of 26/11 victims

Mumbai, Nov 21 : Union Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee Saturday announced the setting up of a museum here in memory of the victims of last year's Mumbai terror attacks.

Launching three new superfast trains here Saturday afternoon, Banerjee said that the museum will include details of all the railway staffers who lost their lives, as well as the security personnel, railway commuters and members of the general public who lost their lives in the 60-hour terror attacks that began Nov 26. As many as 166 people lost their lives in the Mumbai carnage.

In her first visit to Mumbai after taking over the charge, the minister also paid homage to the memory of those killed in the Mumbai attacks and made a special reference to the railway staffers who lost their lives in the carnage at Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (CST).

Banerjee also promised better, faster, safer and cleaner train journeys as she launched the Mumbai-Nagpur Duranto Express which will run all Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays connecting the state capital with Nagpur in 11 hours 30 minutes.

The minister launched a 15-coach local train on the Western Railway (WR) line for the benefit of the 7.5 million daily commuters. The 15-coach trains would have a capacity to carry 6,500 commuters and shall run between Dadar and Virar.

She also launched a new daily superfast Intercity Express connecting Pune-Solapur and a new tri-weekly Superfast Express between Mumbai and Karwar in Karnataka.

The minister extended the Hyderabad-Osmanabad Express till Pune which will run thrice a week on Sundays, Tuesdays and Fridays.

Banerjee also commissioned the country's first in-house mechanised linen washing laundry which will be based at Wadi Bunder on Central Railway. It has been installed at a cost of Rs.10 million and can wash 2,000 sets of bedrolls daily.

The function was attended by Minister of State for Railways K.H. Muniappa, Minister of State in Prime Minister's Office Prithviraj Chauhan, Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel, Minister for IT and Communications Gurudas Kamat, Chief Minister Ashok Chavan, Deputy Chief Minister Chhagan Bhujbal, several state ministers, Mumbai North Lok Sabha member Sanjay Nirupam, Western Railway general manager R.N. Verma and Central Railway general manager B.B. Modgil.

--IANS