PM Modi flags off Odisha's first Vande Bharat Express

Governor Professor Ganeshi Lal, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnav and Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan were present at the Puri railway station on the occassion.

Puri: Prime Minister Narendra Modi virtually flagged off Odisha's first Vande Bharat Express on Thursday, connecting Puri with West Bengal's Howrah. He also laid the foundation stones and inaugurate several railway projects worth 8000 crores in Odisha. New India is building its own technology and reaching it to different corners of the country, PM Modi said during the event adding that the more India's unity is strengthened, the more its collective capacity will increase.

Governor Professor Ganeshi Lal, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnav and Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan were present at the Puri railway station on the occassion. The Vande Bharat Express will pass through Khordha, Cuttack, Jajpur, Bhadrak, and Balasore districts in Odisha and Paschim Medinipur and Purba Medinipur districts in West Bengal.

The train will provide a faster, comfortable and convenient travel experience for passengers, boost tourism and promote economic development in the region. Earlier in April, the railways had conducted the trial run of the Vande Bharat Express between Howrah and Puri.

In addition to this, PM Modi laid the foundation stone for the redevelopment of Puri and Cuttack railway stations. The stations will have state-of-the-art facilities for railway passengers. Besides, he will also launch the project to electrify 100 percent of the railway network in Odisha. This will reduce the operating and maintenance cost and reduce reliance on imported crude oil, the statement said.

PM Modi also dedicated to the nation the doubling of the Sambalpur-Titlagarh rail line; a new broad gauge rail line between Angul-Sukinda; the third line connecting Manoharpur-Rourkela-Jharsuguda-Jamga and new broad-gauge line between Bichhupali-Jhartarbha. "These will cater to the increased traffic demands as a result of rapid industrial development in steel, power and mining sectors in Odisha and will also help ease the pressure on passenger traffic in these rail sections," the PMO had said earlier in a statement.