Puri Howrah 16th Vande Bharat Express
Odisha is eagerly waiting for the arrival of its first Vande Bharat Express train after a long wait. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to inaugurate the train on May 18, which will run between the religious cities of Puri and Howrah. This train has special significance as it will be Odisha’s first and country’s 16th Vande Bharat train. Additionally, this will be the second Vande Bharat Express train for West Bengal, the first Vande Bharat Express train in the state started its journey from Howrah to New Jalpaiguri on December 30, 2022. In April, a total of five Vande Bharat Express trains were started and this month, we can see the introduction of the first Vande Bharat train between Puri and Howrah.
According to railway sources, the trial run of Puri-Howrah Vande Bharat Express train has been successfully completed. The train schedule is as follows: It will leave Howrah at 6 am and reach Puri at 11.50 am. In return it will leave Puri at 1.50 pm and reach Howrah at 7.30 pm. The train will cover a distance of 500 km in approximately 5 hours 30 minutes. During its journey, the train will stop at various stations including Kharagpur, Balasore, Bhadrak, Jajpur Keonjhar Road, Cuttack, Bhubaneswar and Khurda Road Junction. As per reports, the chair car fare for this train is expected to be Rs 1,590, which includes a catering charge of Rs 308. For passengers opting for executive class, the fare can be Rs 2,815, which includes a catering charge of Rs 369. Passengers will also have the option to choose the No Food option.
A total of 15 Vande Bharat Express trains have been run in the country so far. The first Vande Bharat train started its service between Delhi and Varanasi on 15 February 2019. The first Vande Bharat train of the new era started running between Mumbai and Gandhi Nagar on 30 September last year. However, many states are yet to experience Vande Bharat Express service. These states include the Northeast, Punjab, Uttarakhand, Bihar, Jharkhand and Goa. Punjab has been advocating the introduction of Vande Bharat Express in the state for a long time, and a similar demand has been raised in Bihar and Jharkhand.