Odisha’s first Vande Bharat Express between Puri-Howrah likely to start from May 15

The much-awaited Howrah-Puri Vande Bharat Express is likely to be flagged off from Puri on May 15.

According to an official notification issued by the South Eastern Railway, the inaugural run of Vande Bharat Express from Puri to Howrah is tentatively scheduled on May 15.

The primary maintenance will be done at SRC/SER. The notification for detailed timing, stoppage and composition of the said train is yet to be issued from CPTM/SER, the notification read.

“It has been decided that the Ticket checking staff of HWH base will man Vande Bharat Express Train between HWH-Puri-HWH on end-to-end basis,” the notification stated.

The semi-high-speed train will cover a distance of 500 km between Puri and Howrah in around 5 hours and 30 minutes.

The Howrah-Puri Vande Bharat Express is expected to have nine halts-Howrah, Haldia, Balasore, Bhadrak, Jajpur Keonjhar Road, Khurda Road Junction, Cuttack, Bhubaneswar and Puri.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to visit Odisha for flagging off the Vande Bharat Express in Puri.

It is pertinent to mention here that the first trial run of Vande Bharat Express was undertaken from Howrah-Puri on April 28. The train departed from Howrah at 6:10 am and reached Puri at noon with two-minute stoppages at Kharagpur, Bhadrak, Jajpur, Cuttack and Bhubaneswar on the same day.