Bhubaneswar: Prime Minister Narendra Modi today virtually flagged off six Vande Bharat express trains including two trains in Odisha.
The two semi-superfast express trains started their journey from Brahmapur and Rourkela after Prime Minister Narendra Modi virtually flagged off the trains from Ranchi in Jharkhand.
The two trains flagged off from Odisha are Rourkela-Howrah and Brahmapur-Tatanagar. Special functions were organised at Brahmapur and Rourkela railway stations for the flagging-off ceremony.
Governor Raghubar Das and Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi were present at Rourkela and Brahmapur railway stations when the Prime Minister flagged off six Vande Bharat Express trains of which two started running through Odisha on Sunday.
The governor graced the inauguration of Rourkela-Howrah Vande Bharat at Rourkela railway station, while Majhi attended the flagging off of Brahmapur-Tatanagar Vande Bharat at Brahmapur railway station. The CM boarded the Vande Bharat Express at Brahmapur to travel to state capital Bhubaneswar.
Addressing the gathering,Shri Majhi said the new Vande Bharat train will connect Odisha’s silk city Brahmapur to India’s steel city Tatanagar and its travel timing is 9.05 hours.
Stating that the union government is giving priority to development of the railway sector in Odisha, Majhi said the Centre has made new railway projects worth Rs 1 lakh crore for the development of railway infrastructure in Odisha.
So far, railway projects worth more than Rs 70,000 crore have been approved for the state, Majhi said, adding that these projects will play an important role in strengthening the railway network in the state.
In this year’s budget, around Rs 10,586 crore has been allocated for the state, the CM stated.
The Tatanagar-Brahmapur Vande Bharat train will further enhance connectivity between Jharkhand and Odisha, improving access for passengers travelling along this important industrial corridor, railway officials said.
Brahmapur-Tata Vande Bharat Express via Kendujhargarh on its inaugural run left Brahmapur at 11 am. However, the regular service of the train will commence from Tatanagar on September 18 and from Brahmapur on September 19.
With the inauguration of two new trains, five Vande Bharat trains are running through Odisha.
Shri Modi had flagged off Odisha’s first Vande Bharat Express train between Puri and Howrah in May 2023. The second semi-high-speed train service was inaugurated on Puri–Rourkela route in September 2023 and the third, connecting Visakhapatnam with Bhubaneswar, in March this year.