PM Flags Off Vande Bharat Express Connecting Howrah to New Jalpaiguri

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagged off the Vande Bharat Express, connecting Howrah to New Jalpaiguri via video conferencing on Friday. The Prime Minister also inaugurated the Joka-Taratala Stretch of the Joka-Esplanade Metro Project (Purple Line).

Modi also dedicated four railway projects to the nation including Boinchi-Shaktigarh 3rd line, Dankuni-Chandanpur 4th Line Project, Nimtita-New Farakka double line and Ambari Falakata-New Maynaguri-Gumanihat Doubling Project. At the same time, the Prime Minister laid the foundation stone for the redevelopment of the New Jalpaiguri railway station.

Addressing the gathering, the Prime Minister apologised for not being physically present today, as for him, this is the day to bow to the land of Bengal as the history of the freedom struggle is infused in every particle of Bengal. “Land from where the call of Vande Matram originated, saw the flagging off of Vande Bharat today”, the Prime Minister said.

The Prime Minister recalled that on December 30, 1943, Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose hoisted the Tricolour in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands and set the wheels in motion for the independence of India.

On the 75th year anniversary of this historic day, the Prime Minister informed that he got the opportunity to visit Andaman to name an island in honour of Netaji. He further added that India had taken a resolve to start 475 Vande Bharat trains during the celebrations of the Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav and the train being flagged off today from Howrah to New Jalpaiguri is one of them.

Mentioning the multiple projects whose foundation stones are being laid and inaugurated on Friday, the Prime Minister said that the government is spending approximately Rs 5,000 crore for the completion of these projects.

The Prime Minister also informed that he will get the opportunity to dedicate many projects pertaining to the cleanliness of the Ganga and drinking water to West Bengal later in the day. He informed that more than 25 sewage projects have been approved in West Bengal under the Namami Gange Scheme. Out of which 11 projects are already complete and seven are being completed today. Work on five new schemes with an outlay of Rs 1,500 crore is starting on Friday.

The Prime Minister linked reforms and the development of Indian Railways with the development of the country. That is why, he said, the central government is making record investments in the modern railway infrastructure. A nationwide campaign is going on to transform the Indian Railway, he said. He listed modern trains like Vande Bharat, Tejas Hum Safar and VistaDome coaches and the modernisation of Railway Stations including New Jalpaiguri, doubling and electrification of Railway lines as examples of this modernisation.

Modi also mentioned eastern and western dedicated freight corridors as projects that will bring revolutionary changes in the logistics sector. The Prime Minister highlighted strides made in the fields of railway safety, cleanliness, coordination, capability, punctuality and facilities. The Prime Minister emphasised that in the last 8 years, Indian Railways worked on the foundation of modernity and the coming years will see Indian Railway embarking on a new journey of modernisation.

The Prime Minister informed that while 20,000 km rail lines were electrified in the first 70 years of Independence, more than 32,000 km have been electrified since 2014. The Prime Minister said that the Metro Rail system is an example of India’s speed and scale today. “Metro network which was less than 250 km before 2014 had the highest share in Delhi-NCR. In the last 7-8 years Metro has expanded to more than two dozen cities. Today Metro is running on an approximately 800 km long Metro track in different cities of the country. Work is going on Metro routes of more than 1000 km”, he informed.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Governor of West Bengal, Dr CV Ananda Bose, Union Minister for Railways in India, Ashwini Vaisnav, Union Ministers of State, John Barla, Dr Subhas Sarkar and Nisith Parmanik and Member of Parliament, Prasoon Banerjee were those present on occasion among others.