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Modi flags off Odisha’s first Vande Bharat Express train
The Vande Bharat Express is a symbol of modern and aspirational India and the country’s progress can be seen whenever it runs from one place to another, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Thursday
The Vande Bharat Express is a symbol of modern and aspirational India and the country’s progress can be seen whenever it runs from one place to another, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Thursday.
Modi made the remarks as he virtually flagged off Odisha’s first Vande Bharat Express that will connect Puri to West Bengal’s Howrah. It is expected to cover a distance of 500km in six-and-a-half hours, according to railway officials.
“The Vande Bharat Express is a symbol of modern and aspirational India. India’s speed and progress can be seen whenever a Vande Bharat Train runs from one place to another. This pace can now be witnessed in the states of Odisha and West Bengal,” he said.
“This is the time of Amrit Kaal — a time to further strengthen the unity of India. The more India’s unity is strengthened, the more its collective capacity will increase. These Vande Bharat trains are also a reflection of this spirit,” he added.
The train is scheduled to run six days a week (except Thursdays) and will have a halt of two minutes at each of these stations – Kharagpur, Balasore, Bhadrak, Jajpur Keonjhar Road, Cuttack, Bhubaneswar and Khurda Road.
“Be it travelling from Kolkata to Puri for darshan or the other way round, the travel time will now be reduced to only six-and-a-half hours, thereby saving time, giving rise to business opportunities and providing new opportunities to youngsters,” Modi said.
Fifteen Vande Bharat trains are currently operational in the country and those are boosting both connectivity and economy, Modi said. “There was a time when new technologies and facilities used to remain limited to Delhi or the big cities. But now, India has chosen a new path. This new India is making technologies on its own and reaching those to different corners of the country,” he said.
Odisha governor Ganeshi Lal, Union railway minister Ashwini Vaishnaw and Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan were present at Puri railway station for the inauguration.
Besides flagging off the train, the Prime Minister laid the foundation stone and inaugurated railway projects worth more than ₹8,000 crore in the state. The projects included redevelopment of Puri and Cuttack railway stations, 100% electrification of the rail network and a new broad gauge rail line between Angul-Sukinda.
Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik, who also addressed the event via video conferencing, thanked Modi for inaugurating the Vande Bharat Express and launching several projects in the state. “The introduction of the Vande Bharat train is one step closer towards our aspiration of bullet trains in India. I am sure, with your leadership, we should soon have our own bullet trains,” he said.
Patnaik urged Modi to introduce Vande Bharat trains between Puri and Rourkela connecting Sambalpur, and Bhubaneswar and Hyderabad, to “facilitate faster movement of passengers between these important cities, for the benefit of our aspiring people”.
The chief minister said he has the Centre’s support for the early construction of a proposed international airport at Puri.
“Recently, I met the Prime Minister and had a detailed discussion on the proposed Shree Jagannath Puri International Airport at Puri. We will incorporate all the suggestions given by the Prime Minister for making it a world-class seaside airport. We hope that with the cooperation and support of the Prime Minister, this airport will be ready within three to four years, and the Prime Minister will come to Shreekhetra to dedicate the Shree Jagannath Puri International Airport,” he said.
