Puri: Odisha got its first Vande Bharat Express as Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the train virtually on Thursday. The train, with 16 coaches, will cover a distance of 500 km between Howrah and Puri and will take around six and a half hours to complete its journey. PM Modi will also lay the foundation stone and inaugurate several railway projects valued at more than Rs 8,000 crores in Odisha today.
“Vande Bharat is a symbol of developed India and aspirant Indians. When Vande Bharat travels from one place to another, it reflects India’s speed and development,” said PM Modi at the launch of Puri-Howrah Vande Bharat Express train.
“PM Narendra Modi will flag off the Vande Bharat train from Puri to Howrah. PM will dedicate projects worth more than Rs 8,200 crores in Odisha and lay the foundation stone for the redevelopment of Puri and Cuttack railway stations,” Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said.
Ahead of the launch of the Vande Bharat Express train, Ashwini Vaishnaw and Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, along with BJP leader Sambit Patra, visited Jagannath Temple in Puri ahead of the launch of Odisha’s first Vande Bharat Express train.
According to PMO, the new Vande Bharat Express will provide a “much faster and comfortable journey” to passengers. Further, the initiative will also boost tourism and promote economic development.
TRAIN NUMBER AND TIME
The regular run of the 22895/22896 Howrah-Puri-Howrah Vande Bharat Express will commence on May 20. The train will run six days a week, except Thursdays.
The train will depart from Howrah at 6.10 am and will reach Puri at 12.35 pm and in the return direction, it will depart Puri at 1.50 pm and arrive at Howrah at 8.30 pm.
DISTANCE AND STOPAGES
The train will cover a distance of 500 km between Howrah and Puri and will take around six and a half hours to complete its journey. The train, with 16 coaches, will stop at Kharagpur, Balasore, Bhadrak, Jajpur Keonjhar Road, Cuttack, Bhubaneswar and Khurda Road.
TICKET PRICE
The train has two types of coaches, AC chair and Executive chair Car. On the Puri-Howrah route, the price of AC chair is Rs 1,430 including Rs 328 as catering charge while the price of Executive chair Car is Rs 2,615 including Rs 389 catering charge. The food choice is optional and if passengers opt for ‘No Food Option’ then the catering charge will not be added to the fare.
