India’s 17th Vande Bharat Express train will commence its maiden run today. The train will operate between Puri and Howrah railway station. This is the first semi-high speed train for Odisha and second for the state of West Bengal. This is also the first blue and white colour train for the South Eastern Railway (SER) zone.
The new age train has been flagged off by Prime Minister Narendra Modi through video conferencing from New Delhi.
Puri-Howrah Vande Bharat Express inaugural run:-
On its inaugural run today, this blue and white colour train will depart from Puri railway station at around 13:30 hrs. During its journey, the train will stop at 10 railway stations. These are – Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, Jajpur Keonjhar Road, Bhadrak, Soro, Balasore, Rupsa Jn, Jaleswar, Kharagpur, and Howrah railway stations.
Who to board the Puri-Howrah Vande Bharat Express today?
School students of various schools of Odisha will get a chance to travel freely on the new age train today. Earlier, the railways had conducted an essay written competition. A total of 227 students had participated in the competition.
Significance of Odisha’s first Vande Bharat Express:-
The Vande Bharat Express is a perfect example under Aatmanirbhar Bharat initiative. This will benefit the tourists, especially pilgrims visiting Shree Jagannatha Temple, Golden Beach, Konark Sun Temple, and Chandrabhaga Beach. The train is equipped with Kavach. This will prevent the train from collision. The train will also increase footfall at Puri, Bhubaneshwar, Cuttack, and Balasore stations.
Commercial run of West Bengal’s second Vande Bharat Express:-
The train will start its commercial services from May 20, 2023 (Saturday) onwards. During its journey between Howrah and Puri and vice versa, the blue and white colour train will halt at seven railway stations. These are:- Kharagpur, Balasore, Bhadrak, Jaipur K Road, Cuttack, Bhubaneswar, and Khurda Road. It will cover a distance of 502 km in six hours and 25 minutes.
