Siliguri/Malda (West Bengal): The fastest train in India, Vande Bharat Express, which will start its journey in West Bengal in two days' time, performed its trial run on Monday. The trial began at 5.50 am when it left platform number 22 of the Howrah station at a speed of 130 km per hour and reached New Jalpaiguri-about 600 km from Howrah- at 1.50 pm.
India's sixth Vande Bharat Express rake will start running between Howrah and NJP from December 30. It will have halts only at Bolpur and Malda Town stations. According to Railway sources, the distance of 556 kilometers will be covered in eight hours.
This train will run at an average speed of 70-72 km per hour in West Bengal. The move to launch the train has raised several questions which have subsequently sparked a debate on why people will opt for this elite train by paying such a high fare. But in any case, businessmen are happy with the launch of the train.
Siliguri is the gateway to Northeast India and is surrounded by the international borders of Nepal, Bhutan, and Bangladesh. There are also borders of Bihar, Sikkim, Assam which has given the region the reputation of an international tourist hub. Along with the historical Cooch Behar district there are many tourist destinations such as Kalimpong, Alipurduar, and Jalpaiguri.. But the biggest obstacle in connecting this region with other parts of the country is time.
Even if air travel facilities are available, it is not possible for everyone to afford it. Therefore, there was a long-standing demand for a high-speed train connecting Kolkata with North Bengal. According to that demand, Shatabdi Express has launched a few years ago. Now Vande Bharat Express is the latest addition to the list. This train will run six days a week from December 30, as per the schedule released by the Railways.
Vande Bharat Express will leave Howrah at 5.50 am and reach NJP at 1.50 pm. It will depart from NJP at 2.50 pm and reach Howrah at 10.50 pm. The train will halt at Malda at 10.45 hrs while going to NJP. The time of arrival at Malda is 5.55 pm while going to Howrah.
However, the business community of North Bengal is excited about the new train. Surjit Pal, General Secretary, North Bengal Industries Association says, “Thanks to the Central Government and Ministry of Railways for launching such fast trains. It will give a major boost to the industry and trade of North Bengal. There was a long demand for such fast trains. Finally, the Vande Bharat Express is starting.”
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Pradeep Purohit, vice-president of Confederation of Indian Industries, North Bengal, said, “In the past, investors in industry or trade had to rely mainly on air services. This will not happen now. With the launch of the Vande Bharat Express, we expect a high tide for industry and commerce as well as tourism in the north. Thanks to the Central government for running this train.”
However, the schedule of Vande Bharat Express did not please the merchant community of Malda district. Malda Merchant Chamber of Commerce president Jayanta Kundu said, “All business associations in North Bengal demanded a new train from the Railway Minister. Finally Vande Bharat Express is going to start. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate this new train on December 30. Many thanks to the central government for this."
"This train will be useful for going to Siliguri. But reaching Kolkata at 11 pm will be very difficult for the businessmen of Malda. So our request is that the timetable of the train should be made in such a way that we can reach Howrah from Malda by seven in the evening. Along with this, we are demanding the stoppage of this train at Burdwan instead of Bolpur because connecting trains to different parts of the country are available from Burdwan,” Kundu said.
