Guwahati: Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Monday said the first Vande Bharat train from Assam will give a major push to the centre's Act East Policy.
According to Vaishnav, the Vande Bharat train, which Prime Minister Narendra Modi flags off through a video conferencing, will also give a major push to the tourism and communication section of not only Assam but the entire Northeast.
"The semi-high-speed train will not only attract people but also bring all the states in this region closer," said Vaishnav in an exclusive interview with ETV Bharat.
He said that the Vande Bharat train is the outcome of the Make in India initiative of the Modi government. The Vande Bharat train will cover a distance of 411 km from Guwahati to New Jalpaiguri in 5 hours 30 minutes reducing the time of more than one hour usually taken by another fastest train Rajdhani Express.
Except for Tuesday, the Vande Bharat train will run six days a week. Vaishnav said that this will be the fastest train in this sector and will benefit IT professionals, businessmen, students and tourists. According to the Railway Ministry, the Vande Bharat train is the fulfilment of an ambitious plan initiated by Indian Railways to improve the standard and speed of rail travel in the country. The semi-high-speed train showcases superior design, the highest operational rate, aesthetic interiors, state of the art safety measures.
The approximate cost of each train is around Rs 110 crore. The train will consist of eight coaches. The flagging of the Vande Bharat train is welcomed by Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and Union Minister for Waterways and Shipping Sarbananda Sonowal.
"I thank Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Railway Minister Aishwini Vaishnav. This train also upholds India's Atma Nirbhar Bharat," said Sarma. The commercial run of this Vande Bharat train will start on June 31.
