Bhubaneswar: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the Howrah-Puri Vande Bharat Express, the first for Odisha and the trainset’s 17th edition, on Thursday.
He is scheduled to flag off the ultra-modern semi-high-speed train is equipped with state-of-the-art passenger amenities at 12.53 pm after laying the foundation stone and dedicating several railway projects worth more than Rs 8,000 crore in Odisha via video conferencing. Governor Ganeshi Lal, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and local MP Pinaki Mishra and MLA Jayanta Kumar Sarangi are attending the launch event at Puri railway station, the ECoR sources said.
The regular run of the semi high-speed train with 16 coaches will commence from May 20. It will cover a distance of 500 km between Howrah and Puri in about six and a half hours. The service will be available six days a week, except Thursdays, and there will be seven stoppages – Kharagpur, Balasore, Bhadrak, Jajpur Keonjhar Road, Cuttack, Bhubaneswar and Khurda Road – between Puri and Howrah. The train will halt at these stations for two minutes only, the sources said.
PURI-HOWRAH VANDE BHARAT SCHEDULE
• The new Vande Bharat Express, numbered 22895, will depart from Howrah at 6.10 am and arrive at Puri at 12.35 pm.
• On the opposite route, the train will be numbered 22896 and depart from Puri at 1.50 pm. It will reach Howrah at 8.30 pm.
TICKET PRICE
AC Chair Car (CC)
- Howrah to Puri – Rs 1,265 catering charge of Rs 162
- Howrah to Khurda Road Junction – Rs 1,155
- Howrah to Bhubaneswar – Rs 1,125
- Howrah to Cuttack – Rs 1,095
- Howrah to Jajpur K Road – Rs 975
- Howrah to Bhadrak – Rs 910
- Howrah to Balasore – Rs 805
- Howrah to Kharagpur – Rs 605
Executive Chair Car (EC)
Howrah to Puri – Rs 2,420 including catering charge of Rs 195
Howrah to Khurda Road Junction – Rs 2,190
Howrah to Bhubaneswar – Rs 2,130
Howrah to Cuttack – Rs 2,065
Howrah to Jajpur K Road – Rs 1,810
Howrah to Bhadrak – Rs 1,690
Howrah to Balasore – Rs 1,480
Howrah to Kharagpur – Rs 1,075
CATERING CHARGES
The food choice is optional on this train. If anyone opts for the No Food Option, catering charges will be deducted from the fare.
According to South Eastern Railway, the passengers can visit the official website of Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) or app to reserve their seats or book their ticket from Passenger Reservation System (PRS).
PM Modi will also lay foundation stone for the redevelopment of Puri and Cuttack railway stations, inaugurates Bichhupali – Jhartarbha new line and dedicate Sambalpur-Titlagarh Doubling, Angul – Sukinda New Line, Manoharpur – Rourkela – Jharsuguda – Jamga 3rd line and 100% Electrification of Railway lines In Odisha, the sources added.
