PM Modi To Flag Off 9 Vande Bharat Trains Today To Boost Connectivity In 11 States

PM Narendra Modi will on Sunday virtually flag off nine Vande Bharat Express trains across the eleven states to boost connectivity.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will today flag off nine Vande Bharat trains connecting religious and tourist destinations across 11 states -- Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Bihar, West Bengal, Kerala, Odisha, Jharkhand and Gujarat to boost connectivity. The launch will take place through video conferencing. 

The new trains that will be flagged off are -- Udaipur - Jaipur Vande Bharat Express, Tirunelveli-Madurai - Chennai Vande Bharat Express, Hyderabad - Bengaluru Vande Bharat Express, Vijayawada - Chennai (via Renigunta) Vande Bharat Express, Patna - Howrah Vande Bharat Express, Kasaragod - Thiruvananthapuram Vande Bharat Express, Rourkela - Bhubaneswar - Puri Vande Bharat Express, Ranchi - Howrah Vande Bharat Express and Jamnagar-Ahmedabad Vande Bharat Express, according to a release from the Prime Minister's Office.

The release added that as compared to the current fastest train along the route, Rourkela- Bhubaneswar – Puri  Vande Bharat Express and Kasaragod - Thiruvananthapuram Vande Bharat Express will be faster by about 3 hours; Hyderabad – Bengaluru Vande Bharat Express by more than 2.5 hours; Tirunelveli-Madurai- Chennai Vande Bharat Express by more than 2 hours; Ranchi – Howrah  Vande Bharat Express,  Patna – Howrah Vande Bharat Express and Jamnagar-Ahmedabad Vande Bharat Express by about 1 hour; and Udaipur - Jaipur Vande Bharat Express by about half an hour.

Speaking on the launch, Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan says, "Today PM Modi will flag off nine Vande Bharat Express trains, to help improve connectivity across 11 states... Odisha will get its second Vande Bharat Express train--Rourkela - Bhubaneswar – Puri  Vande Bharat Express. This is a very proud moment for us..."

Telangana Governor & Puducherry Lt Governor Tamilisai Soundarajan expressed happiness over the flagging off of the Vande Bharat trains. 

"When I met the Railway Minister in Hyderabad, I told him that South Tamil Nadu people are struggling for transportation without trains and buses and less flights. So I asked him for Vande Bharat and the superfast trains for South Tamil Nadu. He replied in a positive manner. I am very happy that South Tamil Nadu is getting the Vande Bharat train today..." she added.

The government said that the introduction of these trains will herald a new standard of rail service in the country. The trains are equipped with world-class amenities and advanced safety features, including Kavach technology, and will be a key step towards providing modern, speedy and comfortable means of travel to common people, professionals, businessmen, the student community and tourists.