Howrah-Puri Vande Bharat Express Train Completes First Trial Run

This will be the second Vande Bharat Express train to be operated by Indian Railways in West Bengal and the first to be operated in Odisha.

The railways on Friday conducted the trial run of Vande Bharat Express, India`s indigenously designed semi-high-speed train, between Howrah and Puri on Friday. The trial run of the second Vande Bharat Express of West Bengal was conducted at around 6.10 am. The train arrived in Puri at around 12.35 pm. However, the railway officials said that the date of the Vande Bharat Express` first commercial service is yet to be finalised. 

"The semi-high-speed train is likely to flag off very soon. As of now, no final date has been decided for the commercial operations of the train. All sections of the media and the public will be informed once the final dates are confirmed," Aditya Choudhary, Chief Public Relations Officer (CPRO) Southern Eastern Railway, said. 

The first Vande Bharat Express of the State, connecting Howrah to New Jalpaiguri, was flagged off by Prime Minister Narendra Modi via video conferencing in December last year. The ultra-modern Semi High-Speed Train is equipped with state-of-the-art passenger amenities.