India vs Australia World Cup final: Special trains announced after flight prices touch roof

The Central Railways on Friday announced that it will run special World Cup trains for fans travelling from Mumbai to Ahmedabad for the ICC World Cup Final between India and Australia, which will be played on Sunday at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.

A notification by the Central Railway said that a pair of special trains will run from Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus to Ahmedabad and then back from Ahmedabad to CSMT after the match.

Providing details of the World Cup special trains, the Central Railway said: “Train no 01153 CSMT- Ahmedabad special express will leave CSMT at 22.30 hrs on 18.11.2023 (Saturday) and will arrive Ahmedabad at 06.40 hrs next day (Sunday)."

“Train no 01154 Ahmedabad – CSMT special express will leave Ahmedabad at 01.45 hrs on 20.11.2023 (midnight of Sunday/Monday) and will arrive CSMT at 10.35 hrs same day (Monday).”

Check details:

Train 01153: CSMT- Ahmedabad Special Express

Departure: CSMT at 22.30 hrs on November 18 (Saturday)

Arrival: Ahmedabad at 06.40 hrs on November 19. The match will start at 1.30 PM. The musical ceremony will take place at 12 PM. 

Train 01154: Ahmedabad – CSMT Special Express

Departure: Ahmedabad at 01.45 hrs on November 20 (early on Monday)

Arrival: CSMT at 10.35 hrs on November 20.

Halts: CSMT, Dadar, Thane, Vasai, Surat, Vadodara, Ahmedabad.

The airfares to Ahmedabad and return fares have gone up drastically due to the World Cup final match. "Due to high demand for Ahmedabad, airfares for flights to the city from almost all places have risen three to five times," said Manubhai Pancholi, a travel agent, adding, "Cricket fans are ready to pay the high prices to be a part of this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and witness India play the finals in their home country. The demand for hotels and tickets is on the rise"

According to a PTI report, the hotel room tariffs for the night of the match have gone up as high as Rs 2 lakh in top five-star hotels in the city, while other hotels have also increased their rates by five to seven times.

"There is enthusiasm for the World Cup final not only in India, but people from abroad including places like Dubai, Australia, and South Africa want to come to watch the match," PTI quoted the President of the Federation of Hotel and Restaurant Association of Gujarat Narendra Somani as saying.

On Saturday, BCCI announced the schedule for the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2023 Final. Indian Airforce will showcase a special flight show by Surya Kiran aerobatic team for cricket fans, international visitors and players. Aditya Gadhvi of Khalasi fame will also perform at the venue tomorrow.

Besides, Pritam Chakraborty, Jonita Gandhi, Nakash Aziz, Amit Mishra, Akasa Singh and Tushar Joshi will also perform. Earlier, there was a buzz that international pop star Dua Lipa would perform. But BCCI hasn't mentioned her name in the updated list.