Bhubaneswar: Amid much speculation about regular operations of Puri-Howard Vande Bharat Express, the Railways informed that the inaugural run of the semi-high-speed train has been tentatively scheduled on May 15.
“The primary maintenance will be done at SRC/SER. The notification for detail timing, stoppage and composition of the said train is yet to issued by CPTM/SER,” it said.
On April 28, the Indian Railways conducted a trial run of the train. When operational, it will be the first Vande Bharat service for Odisha and the second for West Bengal. The Odisha BJP had earlier informed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi might visit Odisha to flag off the train.
According to sources, the train will likely be scheduled to leave Howrah at 5:50 am and arrive in Puri at 11:50 pm. On the return journey, it will leave Puri at 2 pm and reach Howrah at 7.30 pm. The train will travel 500 km in roughly 5 hours and 30 minutes.
Likely Stoppages
Khurda Road Junction, Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, Jajpur Keonjhar Road, Bhadrak, Balasore, and Haldia
Fare
The tentative fare to travel from Howrah to Puri will be Rs 1,590 (including Rs 308 for catering) for Chair Car and Rs 2,815 (including Rs 369 for catering) for Executive Class. If, however, a passenger opts for ‘no food,’ catering will not be included in the fare.
