India Desk, Delhi Magazine: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will flag off the Vande Bharat Express between Puri and Howrah through video conferencing today. The state-of-the-art semi-high-speed train is equipped with state-of-the-art passenger amenities. According to the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), the train will pass through Khordha, Cuttack, Jajpur, Bhadrak and Balasore districts of Odisha and Paschim Medinipur and Purba Medinipur districts of West Bengal. The train will provide passengers with a faster, more comfortable and convenient travel experience, boost tourism and spur economic development in the region.
For this Shri Narendera Modi had a meeting with Odisha’s CM Shri Naveen Patnaik. PMO India also shared a post of this meeting on their Facebook page:
Last month, the Railways on Friday conducted a trial run of India’s indigenously designed semi-high-speed train Vande Bharat Express between Howrah and Puri. PM Modi will lay the foundation stone and inaugurate several railway projects worth over Rs 8,000 crore in Odisha through video conferencing on Thursday.
The Prime Minister will lay the foundation stone for the redevelopment of Puri and Cuttack railway stations. The redeveloped stations will have all modern facilities to provide a world-class experience to rail passengers, said a PMO statement. The Prime Minister will dedicate 100 per cent electrification of the rail network in Odisha. This will reduce operation and maintenance cost and reduce dependence on imported crude oil.
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PM Modi will also inaugurate doubling of Sambalpur-Titlagarh rail line; a new broad gauge rail line between Angul-Sukinda; A third line connecting Manoharpur-Rourkela-Jharsuguda-Jamga and a new broad-gauge line between Bichupali-Jhartarbha. These will meet the increased traffic demands resulting from rapid industrial growth in the steel, power and mining sectors in Odisha and will also help ease the pressure on passenger traffic in these rail sections, the PMO statement said.