PM Modi virtually flags off six new Vande Bharat trains in Odisha, Bihar

Two new Vande Bharat express trains on Sunday started their journey from Odisha's Brahmapur and Rourkela after Prime Minister Narendra Modi virtually flagged off six such trains 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.

Odisha 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.

The chief minister 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.

Bihar also got four more Vande Bharat Express trains on Sunday with Prime Minister Narendra Modi virtually flagging them off.

These trains would operate on the Tatanagar-Patna, Bhagalpur-Howrah and Gaya-Howrah routes, besides the Deoghar-Varanasi Vande Bharat that would pass through Bihar. These were among six Vande Bharat trains flagged off by the PM from Ranchi.

Chief Minister Nitish Kumar attended the programme virtually from his official residence at 1, Anne Marg in Patna, a statement issued by his office said.

Deputy CMs Samrat Choudhary and Vijay Kumar Sinha, and senior railway officials were present at Kumar's residence during the programme, it said.

MoS for Railway Ravneet Singh Bittu was present at the Bhagalpur station when the trains were flagged off.

"It's a new chapter in modern rail travel for Bihar... It will provide faster, more comfortable, and efficient connectivity. This state-of-the-art train is a testament to India's growing infrastructure and commitment to enhancing passenger experience," he posted on X.