- All seats for PM’s Vadodara programme booked within an hour; over 42,000 applicants waitlisted
- Modi to inaugurate, dedicate and launch projects worth more than ₹35,000 crore during September 8 visit
- Three WDFC sections covering 326 route km to be dedicated, completing the Dedicated Freight Corridor network
- ₹20,700-crore freight corridor boost to accelerate EXIM cargo movement, cut logistics costs and decongest Mumbai rail network
- Three railway projects spanning 329 km and costing over ₹9,700 crore to strengthen Gujarat–Madhya Pradesh connectivity
- PM to inaugurate Global Fintech Fest 2026 in Mumbai as India showcases its digital-finance leadership
NE INFRASTRUCTURE BUREAU
NEW DELHI, VADODARA, SEPT 7
Vadodara is preparing for a mega infrastructure moment—and the public response has already broken records. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s September 8 programme in the Gujarat city has seen all available seats booked within just an hour of free registration on BookMyShow, while more than 42,000 applicants have been placed on the waiting list, signalling extraordinary public interest ahead of a development package worth more than ₹35,000 crore.
In a first-of-its-kind move, public participation for the Prime Minister’s programme was opened through the private digital ticketing platform, with the Vadodara Municipal Corporation managing registrations. The overwhelming response prompted closure of registration after all seats were filled within an hour.
The programme will showcase a sweeping infrastructure push spanning railways, highways, freight connectivity, urban development, renewable energy, housing and water supply, with Modi scheduled to lay foundation stones, inaugurate and dedicate projects to the nation.
Vadodara’s ₹35,000-cr development moment
Modi will arrive in Vadodara at around 12 noon on September 8 and address the gathering after launching the development projects.
Among the centrepieces will be the commissioning of three key sections of the Western Dedicated Freight Corridor (WDFC), covering 326 route kilometres and developed at a cost of more than ₹20,700 crore.
The sections are:
- New Sanand (North)–New Makarpura
- New Umbergaon–New Saphale
- New Saphale–New JNPT
Their commissioning will provide direct freight connectivity to the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority (JNPA), facilitating faster EXIM cargo movement, strengthening links between industrial centres and ports, reducing logistics costs and helping decongest Mumbai’s railway network.
With these sections becoming operational, the Dedicated Freight Corridor network will be fully operational across its entire length, marking a major milestone in India’s freight infrastructure transformation.
WDFC completion to supercharge India’s freight network
The completed freight corridor is expected to strengthen the country’s logistics ecosystem by improving multimodal connectivity, reducing transit times and facilitating smoother movement of cargo across regions.
Modi will flag off freight train services from New Sanand (North), New Makarpura, New Umbergaon and New JNPT, Mumbai.
He will also flag off a new passenger train service between Tanda Road and Vadodara (Pratapnagar).
Another major rail milestone will be the dedication of the Jobat–Tanda Road new rail line, developed as part of the Chhota Udepur–Dhar project.
The line will bring remote and tribal areas of Alirajpur into the national rail network, opening up improved connectivity and economic opportunities for communities in the region.
₹9,700-cr rail expansion to boost Gujarat–MP link
Modi will lay the foundation stone for three railway projects spanning 329 km and costing more than ₹9,700 crore.
The projects include:
- Vadodara–Ratlam third and fourth railway lines
- Miyagam Karjan–Choranda–Malsar gauge conversion
- Vishwamitri–Dabhoi doubling project
The projects are designed to expand passenger and freight capacity, ease congestion and strengthen rail connectivity between Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh.
The railway push, together with the completed WDFC sections, positions Gujarat as an increasingly important link between manufacturing centres, markets and ports.
₹1,780-cr highway push, ₹2,600-cr Gujarat projects
The Prime Minister will also lay the foundation stone for three National Highway projects costing around ₹1,780 crore.
These include six-laning of the Kamrej–Chalthan section of NH-48, construction of additional structures including major bridges over the Tapi and Narmada on the Vadodara–Surat section of NH-48, and grade-separated structures at Abhava, Mindhola and Khajod junctions on NH-53.
Adding a strong urban and green-infrastructure dimension, projects worth around ₹2,600 crore of the Gujarat Government will also be launched or inaugurated.
Among the projects are Phase II of the Vadodara Urban Development Authority Ring Road, a 110 MW floating solar project at Kadana Dam and construction of a new Vadodara Municipal Corporation office.
Projects to be inaugurated include housing under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) and a water-supply project covering 11 villages in eastern Vadodara, among others.
From Vadodara’s digital ticket to Mumbai’s fintech future
The September 8 visit will then take Modi to Mumbai, where at around 5.45 PM he will inaugurate the Global Fintech Fest (GFF) 2026, one of the world’s major annual fintech gatherings.
The seventh edition of GFF is being held in Mumbai from September 8 to 11, bringing together policymakers, regulators, central banks, financial institutions, fintech companies, technology firms, investors, academia and global stakeholders.
The theme this year—“Potential to Impact: Agentic AI, Tokenisation, Quantum – Trusted, Connected, Global Systems for Inclusive Finance”—puts emerging technologies at the heart of the future-finance debate.
The summit will focus on how Agentic AI, programmable finance, quantum technologies and other critical and emerging technologies can move from technological potential to measurable, trusted and inclusive outcomes.
The event builds on India’s growing leadership in digital payments and financial inclusion, while bringing policy, regulation, technology, capital and industry onto a common platform.
42,000 waitlisted as Vadodara goes fully digital
The enthusiasm surrounding Modi’s Vadodara programme has itself become a story of digital public participation.
Registered participants will receive a digital M-Ticket on their BookMyShow account, carrying a secure, live QR code for entry verification.
Registration, verification, venue entry and seating are being managed digitally to make access faster and crowd movement smoother.
With every available seat booked within an hour and more than 42,000 applicants on the waiting list, Vadodara’s September 8 event is set to combine a massive infrastructure rollout with a technology-enabled public participation model.
From the completion of a national freight corridor to new rail and highway links, floating solar power and urban projects, the Vadodara programme is poised to put connectivity, logistics, technology and regional development at the centre of the Prime Minister’s Gujarat visit.
