Bhubaneswar: The inaugural run of Puri-Howrah Vande Bharat Express has been rescheduled and it will now be flagged off from Puri railway station in Odisha on May 18 instead of May 15, the East Coast Railway (ECoR) informed on Friday.
According to sources, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to flag off the semi-high-speed train from Puri at 12 noon on virtual mode.
On April 28, the Indian Railways conducted a trial run of the train between Howrah and Puri. 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.
Timings
Reports earlier said that 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.
