PM To Launch North East’s First 'Vande Bharat Train' On 14 April

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to flag off the first Vande Bharat Express of the North Eastern India, connecting Guwahati and New Jalpaiguri, on 14 April. 

As per the media reports, the Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) has already begun the preparatory work for launch.

Reports suggest that Prime Minister will be visiting Guwahati to inaugurate the train and flag it off.

The prime minister is also scheduled to witness a Bihu performance on the same day by local dancers and drummers, an attempt to mark the largest recital of the folk dance in Guinness World Records. 

Currently, the Vande Bharat Express runs only between the city of New Jalpaiguri and Howrah both in West Bengal. Earlier railway minister Ashwini Vaishnaw had hinted the train to reach Rangpo in Sikkim by December 2024.

The maximum commercial speed of the train is 160 km per hour and has exceeded 180 km per hour during the test. However the track is incapable to support such speed hence the train is operated at a maximum speed of 130 km per hour.

An NFR official further underlined the Guwahati-New Jalpaiguri train’s ability to run at a maximum speed of 110 km per hour. He said, the speed of the train depends on the capacity of the rolling stock, which is higher in Vande Bharat Express, and the track capacity.

Shatabdi Express and Rajdhani Express run at a maximum speed of 110 km per hour in the northeast, he added.

Meanwhile, higher railway officials had directed the concerned department to prepare various allied services to carry out the smooth running of the Vande Bharat Express.

A parliamentary committee on Railways has also questioned the pace of Vande Bharat trains production and said only eight rakes have been manufactured till now in 2022-23, over the target which was 35.