PM Modi Flags off West Bengal’s first Vande Bharata Express on Howrah-New Jalpaiguri route

Tags: State News

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 30th December virtually flagged off Vande Bharat Express from Howrah Railway Station connecting Howrah to New Jalpaiguri. 

Important facts 

• Covering a distance of 564 km in 7.45 hours, this train will save three hours in travel time as compared to other trains on the route.

• This is the first Vande Bharata Express to operate in West Bengal and eastern parts of the country.

• Also, it is the seventh Vande Bharat train in the country operated by the Indian Railways.

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi joined a series of programmes in West Bengal via video conferencing. 

• Apart from flagging off West Bengal’s first Vande Bharata Express train he also launched key connectivity-related projects and the meeting of the National Ganga Council.

• The flagging off of Vande Bharat is a step towards the goal of New India towards 475 such trains across India.

• He also inaugurated the Joka-Taratala Stretch of Joka-Esplanade Metro Project (Purple Line) of Kolkata Metro.

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 that can save diesel and reduce electricity usage by up to 30%.

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

• It was manufactured under the 'Make in India' program at a cost of around Rs 100 crore.

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

• In the Union Budget for 2022-2023, the government has proposed to develop and manufacture 400 new Vande Bharat trains over the next three years.