The superfast train with modern passenger amenities will take around 7.5 hours on its run in both directions, Eastern Railway spokesperson Ekalabya Chakraborty said. "Prime Minister Narendra Modi will flag off the Vande Bharat Express service from Howrah to New Jalpaiguri on December 30," he told PTI. The first Vande Bharat Express service in the state will be run six days a week, he added. It will bring down travel time between Kolkata and Siliguri, the gateway to the Northeast considerably.
The train will leave the Howrah station at 6 am to reach the New Jalpaiguri station at 1.30 pm, and after a one-hour stopover, it will leave the north Bengal station at 2.30 pm and reach Howrah at 10 pm, Chakraborty said.
Railway officials will conduct a trial run up to New Jalpaiguri of the Bharat Express which has arrived at the Liluah loco shed of the Eastern Railway. According to a report published in HT Bangla, motor men and railway staff from the Eastern Railway zone have already been trained to run the Vande Bharat Express. According to railway sources, 10 motormen were sent to Ghaziabad for training. Also, 25 train examiners have been trained for the maintenance of the Vande Bharat Express. They have taken this training at Integral Coach Factory(ICF) in Chennai.
The Divisional Railway Manager(DRM) of Howrah said that usually in the case of other trains, the train sheds only some parts are covered while the rest are under the open sky. But in the case of Vande Bharat Express, the whole area is covered with shades. A special team has been kept ready in the Howrah division for this maintenance of the Vande Bharat Express, according to sources.
*With inputs from agencies
