IANS

The first Vande Bharat Express connecting North East region will be flagged off by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday.

The train will be flagged off virtually by Modi at 12 noon when it commences its journey from Guwahati railway station, an official release said here on Sunday.

Connecting Guwahati with New Jalpaiguri, the train will help save about an hour of journey time, when compared with the current fastest train connecting the two places.

Vande Bharat Express will cover the journey in 5 hours 30 minutes, while the current fastest train takes 6 hours 30 minutes to cover the same journey.

The state-of-the-art Vande Bharat Express will provide people of the region the means to travel with speed and comfort and also boost tourism in the region, the release said.

The prime minister will also dedicate a 182 km route of newly electrified section.

This will help provide pollution-free transportation with trains running at higher speeds and reduced running time of trains.

It will also open the doors for trains running on electric traction to enter Meghalaya, the release said.

Modi will also inaugurate a newly constructed DEMU/MEMU shed at Lumding in Assam.

This new facility will be helpful for maintaining DEMU rakes operating in this region, leading to better operational feasibility, the release added.

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