PM Modi to flag off 4 new Vande Bharat Express trains from this city soon

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Varanasi and flag off four new Vande Bharat Express trains on November 8 in a significant step towards expanding the country's modern rail infrastructure, an official said on Thursday.

The flag-off marks another milestone in realising the Prime Minister's vision of providing citizens with easier, faster, and more comfortable travel through world-class railway services, said the official in a statement, ANI reported.

Four new routes to boost intercity and regional connectivity

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Four new Vande Bharat Express trains will be launched for the routes namely Banaras–Khajuraho, Lucknow–Saharanpur, Firozpur–Delhi, and Ernakulam–Bengaluru.

In a way, these trains will not only reduce the travel time considerably between the places but also open doors for regional mobility, enhance the tourist influx, and foster the economic activities all over the country, as per the statement. The Vande Bharat train through Banaras–Khajuraho will be the direct connectivity along this path and will be a time saver of around 2 hours and 40 minutes compared to the special trains currently running on the route.

Also Read: PM Modi’s Two-Day Varanasi Visit from November 7: To meet BJP leaders, launch Vande Bharat to Khajuraho

The train will connect the cities of Varanasi, Prayagraj, Chitrakoot, and Khajuraho, which are regarded as the most holy and culturally rich in India. The days of strengthening religious and cultural tourism would not only be opened by this link but also a fast, modern, and comfortable journey from the pilgrims and tourists to the UNESCO World Heritage site of Khajuraho. The travel by the Lucknow–Saharanpur Vande Bharat train would require around 7 hours and 45 minutes, which means almost 1 hour of time saving. Besides, it will facilitate the commute of people from Lucknow, Sitapur, Shahjahanpur, Bareilly, Moradabad, Bijnor, and Saharanpur, besides making going to the holy city of Haridwar through Roorkee more accessible.

By ensuring smoother and faster intercity travel across central and western Uttar Pradesh, this service will play a key role in enhancing connectivity and regional development, said the official statement.

Firozpur-Delhi Vande Bharat to be fastest on route

The Vande Bharat train between Firozpur and Delhi will be the speediest on this line, doing the one-way trip in merely 6 hours and 40 minutes. This train will improve the national capital's connectivity with Firozpur, Bathinda and Patiala in Punjab.

It is expected that this train will be a great facilitator and thus a trader, tourist, and job opener altogether, besides improving poverty level toward socio-economic development of the border areas and gradually integrating them with the national market, it stated. In South India, the Vande Bharat train from Ernakulam to Bengaluru will better the already fast-paced travel between these two cities by more than 2 hours, taking only 8 hours and 40 minutes.

The train will interlink the main IT and business centers, thus offering professionals, students, and tourists a quicker and more comfortable option for traveling. The path along this route will not only create more economic and tourism activities between the three states but will also support their unified growth and cooperation.