PM Modi flags off Assam’s first Vande Bharat Express

Tags: State News

Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Northeast's first and India's 18th Vande Bharat Express on 29 May, connecting Guwahati to New Jalpaiguri in West Bengal.

An overview of the news

• The Prime Minister also dedicated to the nation the newly electrified sections of New Bongaigaon-Dudhnoi-Mendipathar and Guwahati-Chaparmukh.

• He also inaugurated the new DEMU/MEMU (workshop for trains) shed at Lumding.

• This new service will cover the distance of 411 km between Guwahati and New Jalpaiguri in 5 hrs 30 mins.

• The Vande Bharat Express train service will operate six days a week.

About Vande Bharat Express Train

• The first Vande Bharat Express was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 15 February 2019.

• These trains have a self-propelled engine which can save diesel and reduce electricity usage by up to 30%.

• The first Vande Bharat Express was manufactured by Integral Coach Factory (ICF), Chennai.

• It was manufactured under the ‘Make in India’ programme, at a cost of about Rs 100 crore.

• These trains can achieve a maximum speed of 160 kmph. 

• In the Union Budget for 2022-2023 the government has proposed the development and manufacture of 400 new Vande Bharat trains in the next three years.