PM inaugurates revamped Vadnagar station where he sold tea

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday inaugurated the revamped Vadnagar railway station where he sold tea during childhood and recalled those days, expressing a desire to visit the new-look facility.

Modi's father Damodardas had a tea stall inside the Vadnagar station in Gujarat's Mehsana district.

During his younger days, Modi used to help his father sell tea at the station.

"My numerous memories are connected with this station," Modi said, after inaugurating the redeveloped Vadnagar railway station in his home town via video link.

Vadnagar, around 100 km from the state capital Ahmedabad, has become a part of this expansion (of railway infrastructure), Modi said after inaugurating a slew of railways and other development projects in Gujarat.

"The new station looks very attractive. Vadnagar has better railway connectivity now as it is part of the Vadnagar-Modhera-Patan heritage circuit which has been converted to broad gauge and electrified," Modi said.

Modi said he wishes to visit all the places he inaugurated, including the Vadnagar station.

He also flagged off the Gandhinagar-Varetha Mainline Electric Multiple Unit (MEMU) train which passes through Vadnagar.

As Vadnagar railway station is a part of the heritage circuit, the tourism ministry spent Rs 8.5 crore to give a heritage look to the existing station building and its entry gate, an official said.

Varetha is a small village in Mehsana district and is close to the famous Taranga Hill, a popular tourist as well as religious place.

Till now, Mehsana station was connected with Taranga Hill through a meter gauge railway line.

As it was not technically feasible to lay a broad gauge line till Taranga Hill, the Western Railways converted the gauge till Varetha, located 3 km before the Hill.