PM to flag off Patna-Howrah Vande Bharat on Sept 24

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the Vande Bharat train service between Patna and the twin cities of Howrah-Kolkata in West Bengal through video conferencing on September 24, said an official of the East Central Railway (ECR).

This will be Bihar’s second Vande Bharat train, the first being the Patna-Ranchi service, which began on June 27 this year.

The Railways have already begun preparations for the semi high-speed train operations on the Patna-Howrah route with strengthening of tracks on Patna-Jhajha-Asansol- Burdwan -Howrah main line.

According to the chief public relations officer of ECR, Birendra Kumar, the trial runs are expected to begin shortly on the route, which is currently fixed for a maximum speed of 130 km per hour. However, the final speed can be calculated only after the trial runs.

This train will operate during daytime and as per tentative plans, it will halt at Jasidih (Deoghar in Jharkhand) and Asansol (West Bengal) on the 535-km route. It’s expected to run at a speed of 90 kmph to 110 kmph and will cover the distance in 6 hours 30 minutes, reducing the current travel time of 8-10 hours in other trains. The Janshatbdi Express is currently the fastest train on the Patna-Howrah route, taking 7.55 hours to complete the journey after covering 14 railway stations.