Rly Conducts Full Trial Run Of Puri-Rourkela Vande Bharat; Launch Likely At Month-End

Bhubaneswar: The full trial run of Puri-Rourkela Vande Bharat Express, the second semi-high speed for Odisha, began on Wednesday morning.

The train departed from Puri railway station at 5 am and reached Bhubaneswar around 6 am. It is scheduled to chug into Rourkela railway station at 12.45 pm and then again depart at 2.10 pm and reach Puri at 9.40 pm. The Vande Bharat, covering 505 km distance at an average speed of 63.33 kmph-65.16 kmph, will have halt at Khurda Road, Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, Dhenkanal, Angul, Kerejanga, Sambalpur city and Jharsuguda.

The Puri-Rourkela train, which will cater to the rush between the coastal and western Odisha regions, is expected to start operating at the end of this month and run six days a week, excluding Saturdays. Except for Bhubaneswar, where the train will halt for five minutes, the stoppage is for two minutes at other stations. It will cover the distance of 505 km in 7 hrs and 30 minutes from Puri-Rourkela and 7 hours and 45 minutes on the down line i.e. Rourkela to Puri.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to flag it off on September 30.

Also Read: Trial Run Of 2nd Vande Express For Odisha Begins; Puri-Rourkela Train Likely To Start On This Date

The first Vande Bharat Express between Puri and Howrah was flagged off on May 18. PM Modi had then promised another semi high-speed train for Odisha.