May 29, 2023: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will flag off Assam’s first Vande Bharat Express today at 12 PM via video conferencing.
“The state-of-the-art Vande Bharat Express will provide people of the region the means to travel with speed and comfort. It will also boost tourism in the region,” the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said in a statement.
Connecting Guwahati with New Jalpaiguri, the train will help save about an hour of journey time when compared with the current fastest train connecting the two places. Vande Bharat will cover the journey in five-and-a-half hours while the current fastest train takes six-and-a-half hours to cover the distance.
The prime minister will also dedicate 182-km route of newly electrified sections.
“This will help provide pollution-free transportation with trains running at higher speed and reduced running time of trains. It will also open the doors for trains running on electric traction to enter Meghalaya,” the statement added.
Modi will also inaugurate a newly constructed DEMU/MEMU shed at Lumding in Assam. This new facility will be helpful for maintaining DEMU rakes operating in this region, leading to better operational feasibility.
(Image courtesy – Wikipedia)
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