Howrah-New Jalpaiguri Vande Bharat Express: Speed, ticket fare, stoppages

Howrah- New Jalpaiguri Vande Bharat will leave the Howrah station at 6am and will reach the New Jalpaiguri station at 1.30pm. After a one-hour stopover, the train will leave New Jalpaiguri at 2,30pm and reach Howrah at 10pm.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday flagged off the Howrah-New Jalpaiguri Vande Bharat Express hours after he lost his mother Heeraben. This is the first Vande Bharat Express in West Bengal as well as eastern India. The tickets will be available from January 1, 2023. This is one of the 475 Vande Bharat Express trains that the government is aiming to start on the occasion of 75 years of Independence. Read | PM Modi attends Bengal events virutally, CM Mamata's ‘please take rest’ message

West Bengal gets its first Vande Bharat which will ply between Howrah and New Jalpaiguri. (PTI)

Here is all you need to know about Howrah-New Jalpaiguri Vande Bharat Express:

1. The Howrah-New Jalpaiguri Vande Bharat train will cover the 564 km distance in 7.5 hours.

2. There will be three stoppages -- Barsoi, Malda and Bolpur.

3. The Howrah-New Jalpaiguri Vande Bharat will run six days a week.

4. The train will leave the Howrah station at 6am and will reach the New Jalpaiguri station at 1.30pm. After a one-hour stopover, the train will leave New Jalpaiguri at 2,30pm and reach Howrah at 10pm.

5. Vande Bharat Express tickets will be available from 1st January 2023.

6. Charges for EC (Executive Class) category will be ₹2,825 and for CC (Chair car) category will be ₹1,565.

7. According to railway sources, 10 motormen were sent to Ghaziabad for training. Also, 25 train examiners have been trained for the maintenance of the Vande Bharat Express.

8. This is the 7th Vande Bharat Express after Varanasi-New Delhi, Katra-New Delhi, Mumbai Central-Gandhinagar, New Delhi - Amb Andaura, Chennai-Mysuru, Bilaspur-Nagpur.

9. The state-of-the-art train has 16 coaches, including two for drivers.