Mail News Service
Jamshedpur, May 16: The states of Odisha and West Bengal are gearing up for the introduction of their first and second Vande Bharat Express trains, respectively. On May 18, the country’s inaugural high-speed train, Vande Bharat Express, is set to be inaugurated virtually by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, running from Puri in Odisha to Howrah in West Bengal.
The South Eastern Railway has released the timetable for this much-anticipated train service. The Vande Bharat Express, with the train number 22895, will depart from Howrah at 6:10 am and reach Puri at 12:35 pm. The return journey, numbered as 22896, will leave Puri at 1:50 pm and arrive at Howrah at 8:30 pm. The train will make stops at a total of seven stations, covering a distance of 500 km in approximately 5 hours and 30 minutes.
The stations where the train will halt include Kharagpur, Balasore, Bhadrak, Jajpur Keonjhar Road, Cuttack, Bhubaneswar, and Khurda Road. In total, the train will pass through nine stations along its route. Operating six days a week, the Howrah-Puri Vande Bharat Express will not run only on Thursdays.
With this new addition, the Vande Bharat Express fleet will expand to a total of 16 trains across the country. Presently, there are already 15 Vande Bharat Express trains in operation. The launch of this high-speed service will facilitate seamless travel for those journeying from West Bengal to the sacred city of Puri. Passengers can now reach Puri from Howrah in less than six hours, significantly reducing travel time. It is worth mentioning that a Vande Bharat Express is already operational between Howrah and Jalpaiguri in West Bengal. Furthermore, there has been increasing demand for Vande Bharat trains in Bihar-Jharkhand and Punjab. However, no official information regarding these routes is currently available. Reports suggest that ticket prices for the new Vande Bharat Express are estimated to range from Rs 1,590 to Rs 2,815. The fare for a chair car seat is set at Rs 1,590, while the executive class fare will be Rs 2,815. These prices include catering charges of Rs 308 and Rs 369, respectively. Passengers also have the option to choose a ticket without food service.(
