West Bengal has got its first Vande Bharat Express train on the busy Howrah-New Jalpaiguri route today on Friday. Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagged off the train through video conference as he had to rush to Ahmedabad to attend the last rites of his mother Heeraben who passed away this morning.

It is the first Vande Bharat Express to operate in West Bengal and on the Eastern parts of the country. Also, it is the seventh Vande Bharat train by Indian Railways in the country.

The superfast train with modern passenger amenities will take around 7.5 hours on its run in both directions, Eastern Railway spokesperson Ekalabya Chakraborty said.

The train will leave the Howrah station at 6 am to reach the New Jalpaiguri station at 1:30 pm, and after a one-hour stopover, it will leave the north Bengal station at 2:30 pm and reach Howrah at 10 pm, Chakraborty said.

According to railway sources reported by Mint, 10 motormen were sent to Ghaziabad for training. Also, 25 train examiners have been trained for the maintenance of the Vande Bharat Express. They have taken this training at Integral Coach Factory (ICF) in Chennai.

A special team has been kept ready in the Howrah division for this maintenance of the Vande Bharat Express, according to sources.

Meanwhile, the Prime Minister will also lay foundation stone and dedicate various development projects worth ₹7,800 crore to the state.

Image courtesy: ANI