Vasai-Virar

Vasai-Virar is a city in Maharashtra state in western India. As per 2011 census this is the fifth largest city in Maharashtra. It is located in Thane District, 50 km north of Mumbai. The city is located on the north bank of Vasai Creek, part of the estuary of the Ulhas River. The two government bodies in Vasai-Virar town are Vasai-Virar City Municipal Corporation (VVMC) and Grampanchayat.
Vasai-Virar is an agglomeration of several formerly separate towns. The area covered by the city roughly corresponds to the ancient city of Sopara.

Transport

Railways

Vasai-Virar Town is Connected by Western & Central Railway. 
The Major Railway Stations on Western & Central Railway in Vasai-Virar Town are

Virar Railway Station

• Virar Railway Station (Western Railway): All Local, DMU Train, Memu, Shuttle, Express & Passenger Trains halt or Depart from here.
• Nallasopara Railway Station (Western Railway) : All Local DMU & Memu halt here.
•  
• Vasai Road Railway Station (Western / Central Railway) : Vasai Road Railway Station is a Junction. 
• All Local, DMU, Memu, Shuttle, Express & Passenger Trains halt or Depart from here.
• Naigaon Railway Station (Western Railway) : All Local Trains halt here.
• Juchandra Railway Station (Central Railway) : All DMU & MEMU halt here.
• Kaman Road Railway Station (Central Railway) : All DMU & MEMU halt here

Vapi

Vapi is a city and a municipality in Valsad district in the southern part of the Indian state of Gujarat. It is situated on the banks of the Damanganga River. Vapi falls under the taluka administration of Pardi. It is the largest city in the Valsad district.
Around 28 km south of the district headquarters city of Valsad, it is surrounded by the Union Territories of Daman to the west and Dadra and Nagar Haveli to the east. Economic and industrial growth in recent decades has, however, blurred the physical boundaries, and the small stretch of roughly 21 km of Daman-Vapi-Silvassa has almost become a monolith.
The town originally belonged to the community of Desai (Anavil Bramhins) and is now a very important industrial town. It is the largest industrial area in Asia in terms of small-scale industries, dominated by chemical industry plants, along with their unfortunate hazards. It has been ranked among the most polluted places in the world, but has improved in that respect.

Transportation

National Highway 8 passes through Vapi.

National Highway Vapi

 It is connected to all major cities of India. It is the only place from where one can visit Daman and Silvassa. City bus service is available in Vapi.

To cater to industry, the city handles a huge amount of what is called a "floating population" and the Vapi railway station on the Mumbai-Vadodara rail link of Western Railway (India) has become the direct beneficiary in terms of revenues due to daily commuters.

Vapi railway station

 Most of the trains passing through Vapi (including the August Kranti Rajdhani Express) have a stop here. Even Shatabdi express(BCT-ADI) have a stop there. It is the only city connecting two union territories i.e Daman&Diu and Dadra-nagar haveli.

Valsad

Valsad formerly known as Bulsar, is a city and a municipality in the Valsad district of the Indian state of Gujarat. The city has a collectorate, a district court, and a police headquarters with a historic prison. The municipality is governed by the city mayor. Queen Lead Singer Freddie Mercury's (born Farrokh Bulsara (Gujarati: ફરોખ બલ્સારા‌) family surname is derived from the town of Bulsar (also known as Valsad)

Tithal beach

Tithal Beach is a tourist attraction in the coastal region of Valsad, overlooking the Arabian sea. It has many tourist attractions including some grand temples like, Shri Sai Baba & Shri Swami Narayan.

Tithal Beach

 The Indian government has funded in the development of the area, due to its popularity with local and foreign tourists alike. There are plenty of stalls and shops selling various kinds like Bajiya, Dabeli, Bhel Chat Coconut water and of souvenirs. You will also find places to eat both indoors and outdoors with plenty of choice from a full meal to traditionally prepared snacks.

Transport

Railways

Valsad is a major railway station on the Mumbai-Vadodara mainline of Western Railways (WR) and is well connected by rail to all major cities in India. The present railway station building was established in 1925. Most trains on the route including the August Kranti Rajdhani Express have a scheduled halt at Valsad. Adjacent to the railway station is the Valsad Electric Loco Shed which houses over 100 electric locomotives. It is the only loco shed on WR which houses the AC/DC locomotives like WCAM-1 and WCAM-2, WCAM-2P and one of the only two in India (the other being Kalyan on Central Railways) to house AC/DC dual powered electric locomotives. Recently many WAG-5/5As have been homed at Valsad who are pure AC locomotives.

Valsad has three platforms no 1,2,3 and there are almost 4-5 freight sidings.
Several long distance express trains and short distance intercity trains originate and terminate at Valsad. Some of the trains starting from Valsad are-

• 0123/0124 Valsad Fast Passenger to Mumbai Central
• 9109/9110 Gujarat Queen to Ahmedabad
• 2929/2930 Intercity Express to Vadodara
• 9051/9052 Shramik Express to Sonpur
• 2943/2944 Udyogkarmi Express to Kanpur
• 245WR/246WR Passenger to Bandra Terminus (Mumbai)
• 249WR/250WR Passenger to Viramgam
• 2911/2912 Valsad Haridwar Express

 The city has a rail terminus for the Mumbai-Ahmedabad line and Mumbai-Delhi line of the Western Railway. Connected by the National Highway no. 8 (NH 8), Valsad is about 150 km north of Mumbai and about 100 km south of the city of Surat.

Bharuch

River Narmada

Bharuch  also known as Broach, is the oldest city in Gujarat, situated at the mouth of the holy river Narmada. Bharuch is the administrative headquarters of Bharuch District and a municipality of more than 1,50,000 inhabitants. As Bharuch is a major seaport city, a number of trade activities have flourished here. Located between Vadodara and Surat, the city derived its name from  the residence of the great saint Bhrigu Rishi, which was later abridged to Bharuch. The city then became known as 'Bharukachch' and eventually Bharuch.
The priests of Bharuch were famous for their learning in the other regions too. As per the mythological stories, Agnihotri and Samvedi, the learned priests of Shukaltirtha were famous up to the Kashi in the northern India.
Bharuch is the hometown of the Gujarati Bhargav Brahmin community. The community traces its origins back to Bhrigurishi, Bhagwan Parshram the incarnation of Lord Vishnu and other rishis. The community has had Bharuch as their hometown for centuries. Some of the great men from this community include Kulapati K.M. Munshi, the great educationalist and founder of the Bhartiya Vidya Bhavan.

Transport

Rail :Bharuch railway station, 'Bharuch Junction' is on Mumbai- Delhi- Ahmedabad line, which connects the Northern, Central & Western Railway link.

Bharuch railway station

 The main trains which passes through the station are Mumbai-Ahmadabad Shatabdi Express, Mumbai-Vadodara Express, Jammu Tawi-Mumbai Central Swaraj Express and Bandra-Dehradun Express. The major railhead towards north of Bharuch is Vadodara Junction Railway Station (71 km) and towards south is Surat (68 km.)

Bus :National Highway 8 passes through Bharuch and has a good road network.

National Highway 8 passes through Bharuch

 The Bus Station situated in the heart of the city is one the busiest bus terminals in Western India. State transport buses and private luxury coaches connects Bharuch with various centres of Gujarat, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Delhi and Rajasthan.

Rajkot

Rajkot  is the fourth largest city in the state of Gujarat, India, after Ahmedabad, Surat and Vadodara. Rajkot is the 23rd urban agglomeration in India, with a population more than 1.6 million as on 2012. Rajkot is ranked 22nd in The world's fastest growing cities and urban areas from 2006 to 2020.Rajkot is a city of Gujarat state in India and administrative headquarters of the Rajkot District, 245 km from the state capital Gandhinagar, located on the banks of the Aji River and Nyari River. Rajkot was the capital of the then Saurashtra state from 15 April 1948 to 31 October 1956 before merging in bilingual Bombay State on 1 November 1956. Rajkot was merged into Gujarat State from bilingual Bombay state on May 1, 1960.

Transport

Roads and highways

The Gujarat State Road Transport Corporation (GSRTC) runs regular buses to and fro from Rajkot to other cities of Gujarat.

Rajkot Highway

More than 81000 people travel daily with GSRTC .Rajkot is very well connected with Gujarat State Highways and Rajkot is allocated the vehicle registration code GJ-3 by RTO. There are a number of private bus operators connecting city with other cities of Gujarat state and other states of India

Rail and Internal Transport

Rajkot Railway Station, also known as Rajkot Junction, is the main railway station in the city of Rajkot in Gujarat, India. It falls under the Western Railways zone of the Indian Railways. It is the primary terminus for rail transport for the city; the other railway station in Rajkot is the Bhaktinagar Railway Station.

Rajkot Railway Station

The station is situated on the Ahmedabad-Hepa broad gauge line. It is linked to the Viramgam-Okha rail route by a broad gauge line. To the west, the major railhead is at Jamnagar, 88 kilometres (55 mi) away. It is a junction for Somnath - Viramgam and Okha - Rajkot branch-lines of Western Railway.

Rajkot Municipal Corporation has restored city bus services with Public Private Partnership in 2007. RMC and a private company is providing around 80 CNG buses under 15 to 20 routes in city and suburbs. RMC is also working for Rajkot Bus Rapid Transit System (RBRTS) for providing better transportation within city. Rajkot has sufficient number of auto rickshaws, which are running round the clock within city, most of which are converted to CNG from petrol or diesel.

Aviation

Aviation is developing slowly in the city. Daily multiple flights to Mumbai are served by Indian Airlines and Jet Airways and by other carriers. Intermittent services to Ahmedabad and hopping service to Bhavnagar on the way to Mumbai have been undertaken periodically.

Jet Airways

 Currently Indian Airlines and Jet Airways offer daily flights between Rajkot and Mumbai Airport. A new service planned is for Rajkot-Bhavnagar-Surat route. Another new service planned by Jet Airways to Mumbai and Bangalore would enhance aviation.

Vadodara

Vadodara  formerly known as Baroda, is the third largest and most populated city in the Indian State of Gujarat, after Ahmedabad and Surat. Historical and archaeological findings date this place back to the 9th century when it was a small town called Ankottaka (present Akota) located on the right bank of the river Vishvamitri (whose name is derived from the great saint Rishi Vishwamitra). Ankottaka was a famous centre of Jainism in the 5th and 6th century AD. Some of the Akota bronze images can be seen in the Vadodara Museum. The city was once called Chandanavati after its ruler Raja Chandan of Dor tribe of Rajputs, who wrested it from the Jains. The capital had also another name "Virakshetra" or "Virawati" (a land of warriors). Later on it was known as Vadpatraka or Wadodará, which according to tradition is a corrupt form of the Sanskrit word Vatodar means 'in the heart of the banyan tree'. It is now almost impossible to ascertain when the various changes in the name were made; but early English travellers and merchants mention the town as Brodera, and it is from this that the name Baroda is derived. Again in 1974 the name changed to Vadodara.

Transport

Air

Vadodara Airport (IATA: BDQ) is located north-east of the city.

Vadodara Airport

 Vadodara has air connectivity with Mumbai, New Delhi, Bangalore and Hyderabad. Vadodara is set to have an International Airport in near future.

Rail

Vadodara was part of historic BBCI Railway. Railway had arrived in Vadodara in January 1861. On November 5, 1951 the BBCI Railway was merged with the Saurashtra, Rajputana and Jaipur railways to give rise to the Western Railway. Now, the Vadodara Railway Station belongs to the Western Railway zone of Indian Railways and is a major Junction on the Wstern Railway Main Line.

Vadodara Railway Station

 Vadodara junction is Gujarat's Busiesit Junction with almost 150 trains passing everyday. One can travel to almost all the parts of India from Vadodara Junction, where there is a Junction of rails from the directions of Ahmedabad, Mumbai, Delhi and Kota (4 sides). It has one of the largest Electric Locomotives Shed in Gujarat and various trains have a loco change over at Vadodara. Trains like Rajdhani, Shatabdi, Jan Shatabdi and important Mail/Express Trains halt at Vadodara Junction. Vadodara has 5 railway stations namely Vadodara Junction (BRC),Pratapnagar, Vishwamitri, Makarpura & Bajwa.
Vadodara also has a Locomotive Shed homing numerous WAP-4,WAM-4,WAG series of Indian Locos.

Road

National Highway 8, connecting Delhi and Gandhinagar with Ahmedabad to Mumbai, passes through the city. Vadodara is also connected with Ahmedabad through Indian National Expressway 1, a stretch of 97 km Super Highway with exits at Anand, Nadiad, S.P.Ring Road and finally Ahmedabad.

National Highway 8

 Public transport vehicles within the city include buses, autorickshaws and taxis. Now there are buses owned by VTCOS for an easy public transportation operated by the private bus operators VTPL which now runs over a hundred buses of 33 and 50 seater configurations. It has taken a lot of two wheeler traffic off the road and helped the people in easy safe and cheap transport service. A significant proportion of the population uses their own vehicles – cars, scooters, motorcycles and bicycles.

• Paved Roads: 1680 km
• Unpaved Roads: 400 kilometer
• Total Roads: 2080 km

Patna

Patna is the capital of the Indian state of Bihar and the most populous city in Bihar. Patna is one of the oldest continuously inhabited places in the world. Ancient Patna, known as Pataliputra, was the capital of the Magadha Empire under the Haryanka, Nanda, Mauryan, Sunga, Gupta, Pala and during the Islamic period the seat of power for the Suri dynasty.
Pataliputra was also a seat of learning and fine arts. Its population during the Maurya period (around 300 BCE) was about 400,000.
The modern city of Patna is situated on the southern bank of the Ganges. The city also straddles the rivers Sone, Gandak and Punpun.

Transportation and connectivity

Patna was one of the first places in India to use horse-drawn trams for public transport. Public transportation today is provided for by buses, auto rickshaws and local trains.

Radio Cab

 Auto rickshaws are said to be the lifeline of the city. BSRTC has started City bus service on all major routes of Patna. Recently, radio cab facility was also started.

Rail

The Patna Junction railway station is connected to most of the major cities in India by the railway network. Patna lies in between New Delhi and Kolkata which is one of the busiest rail route in India.

The city is a major railway hub and has five major stations: Patna Junction, Rajendranagar Terminal, Gulzarbagh Station, Danapur Station and Patna Sahib Station.

Air

There is an airport, Lok Nayak Jayaprakash Airport, which is classified as a restricted international airport. The arrival of several low-cost carriers and a number of new destinations have caused a growth in air traffic in recent years, as has an improvement in the situation with regard to law and order.

Lok Nayak Jayaprakash Airport

For the period April to December 2009 the airport ranked first in a survey of 46 airports in the country in terms of percentage growth of domestic passengers as well as domestic aircraft movement. New airport is expected to be built at Bihta.