Another Vande Bharat Express train in Odisha soon!

A demand has been raised to operate a Vande Bharat train between Jeypore and Bhubaneswar. Local MLA Tara Prasad Bahinipati urged that he has brought the matter to the notice of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw.

Responding to the demand, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Saturday promised that the Jeypore–Bhubaneswar Vande Bharat service would be launched in the coming days. He added that the state government is also considering steps to reopen the long-shut paper mill.

Meanwhile, Odisha’s rail connectivity has received a major boost with six Vande Bharat Express trains currently operating on various routes linking the state to major urban and industrial hubs in neighbouring states.

The services include:

• Puri–Rourkela Vande Bharat Express – Covers 505 km via Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, Dhenkanal, Angul, and Sambalpur in around 7 hours 45 minutes; runs six days a week.
• Howrah–Puri Vande Bharat Express – Connects Howrah to Puri via Balasore, Bhadrak, Jajpur Keonjhar Road, Cuttack, and Bhubaneswar.
• Howrah–Rourkela Vande Bharat Express – Runs 412 km between Howrah and Rourkela in about 5 hours 50 minutes, six days a week.
• Tatanagar–Brahmapur Vande Bharat Express – Links Tatanagar in Jharkhand to Brahmapur in Odisha, covering 587 km in roughly 9 hours.
• Bhubaneswar–Visakhapatnam Vande Bharat Express – Operates 444 km between Odisha’s capital and the Andhra Pradesh city in about 6 hours.
• Raipur–Visakhapatnam Vande Bharat (via Odisha) – Enhances inter-state connectivity passing through southern Odisha.

Equipped with modern amenities like AC Chair Cars, infotainment systems, Wi-Fi, charging ports, and the Kavach safety system, these semi-high-speed trains have become a preferred travel option for passengers.