PM Modi to flag off first Vande Bharat Express for Odisha and lay foundation stone & dedicate several railway projects over Rs. 8000 crores tomorrow

May 17, 2023 B M 0 Comments

By B.Maharana

Bhubaneswar, May 17

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will lay the foundation stone and dedicate several railway projects worth more than Rs. 8000 crores in Odisha tomorrow via video conferencing.

According to Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), Modi will lay the foundation stone for the redevelopment of Puri and Cuttack railway stations at around 12:30 PM.The redeveloped stations will have all modern amenities providing a world-class experience to the rail passengers.

During the event to be held in Puri Railway station , Prime Minister will flag off the Vande Bharat Express between Puri and Howrah. The train will cover 500 kms distance and pass through Khordha, Cuttack, Jajpur, Bhadrak, Balasore districts in Odisha, Paschim Medinipur, and Purba Medinipur districts in West Bengal.

The train will provide faster, comfortable and more convenient travel experience to the rail users, boost tourism and promote economic development in the region. Regular run of the Howrah-Puri-Howrah Vande Bharat Express will commence on May 20.

Official sources said, the train six days a week. The train will depart Howrah at 6.10 am and reach Puri at 12.35 pm and in the return direction, it will depart Puri at 1.50 pm and arrive at Howrah at 8.30 pm.

PM Modi will further dedicate 100 per cent electrification of the rail network in Odisha. This will reduce the operating and maintenance costs and reliance on imported crude oil.

Prime Minister will also dedicate the doubling of the Sambalpur-Titlagarh rail line; a new broad gauge rail line between Angul-Sukinda; the third line connecting Manoharpur-Rourkela-Jharsuguda-Jamga and new broad-gauge line between Bichhupali-Jhartarbha.

These will cater to the increased traffic demands due to rapid industrial development in Odisha’s steel, power and mining sectors and will also help ease the pressure on passenger traffic in these rail sections, said the PMO statement.