PM .Modi inaugurated Puri-Howrah Vande Bharat Train Today

Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the    Puri Howrah Vande Bharat Express on Thursday via video conference. This is the second Vande Bharat Express of West Bengal. It will cover 500km distance between Howrah and Puri in around six and  a half hours. It will run six days a week except Thursdays.

 The train will depart Howrah at 6:10 a.m and reach Puri at 12:35 p.m. In the return direction, it will depart Puri at 1:50 p.m and arrive at Howrah at 8:30 pm. It will run regularly from May 20.The train with 16 coaches will stop at Kharagpur, Balasore,Bhadrak, Jaipur,Kheonjhar, Cuttack, Bhubaneswar and Khurda Road.

With Puri the abode of Lord Jagannath, a very popular destination for the tourists of West Bengal as both a pilgrimage and a beach resort town, the semi high speed train is likely to be an instant hit among travelers, according to travel agents.

Addressing the function through video conferencing, Modi said, “New India is building its own technologies and reaching those to the different corners of the country. The Vande Bharat Express will further strengthen the religious, cultural and spiritual connection between Howrah and Puri.As the country celebrates the ' Amrit Kaal' of its independence ,its time to strengthen its unity. The more India 's unity is strengthen, the more its collective capacity will increase”. 

Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw and education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan were present at the programme at  Puri station. A cultural programme was also organised at the Howrah station to mark the occasion.