Kolhapur Mumbai flights in evening too twice a week from March 2

Kolhapur: From March 2 onwards, the flight between Kolhapur and Mumbai will start operating in both morning and evening sessions and, to begin with, twice a week on Tuesday and Thursday.Rajya Sabha MP Dhananjay Mahadik made the announcement, stating that the new schedule will be much more convenient for passengers regularly travelling between Kolhapur and Mumbai. At present, the flight to Mumbai operates in the morning session. In addition, on two days of the week, the flight will operate in the evening hours."At 4.30pm, the plane will take off from Mumbai and reach Kolhapur at 5.35pm. The flight will leave Kolhapur at 6.05pm and will reach Mumbai by 7.10pm. Thereafter, if the response continues, we are planning to start flight operations between the two cities in both sessions on all days of the week," said Mahadik.The Kolhapur airport is at present connected to Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Tirupati, and Ahmedabad, apart from Mumbai. A large chunk of the passengers arriving from these cities to Kolhapur are tourists, especially those visiting the Mahalaxmi temple; some of them are entrepreneurs.Rs 984 crore approved for Kolhapur-Miraj track doublingMahadik said the central govt approved Rs 984 crore for the doubling of the rail tracks between Kolhapur and Miraj junctions. Currently, due to a single track, there are limitations to train crossings and running more trains for long-distance journeys. He said once the doubling of the rail track is completed, more Vande Bharat Express trains can be deployed.Solapur MP Praniti Shinde demanded that the railway ministry start the Kolhapur-Solapur intercity express, given the growing demand from passengers visiting both cities. In an unstarred question in Lok Sabha, Shinde said after the establishment of the high court bench at Kolhapur, the demand from lawyers and litigants who frequently visit has increased.In the written reply, minister Ashwini Vaishnav said that, at present, the Kolhapur-Kalaburgi Express train already caters to the need, and the demand by the MP depends on a few factors, such as capacity, availability of infrastructure, maintenance of the tracks, etc.