Odisha govt demands three Vande Bharat trains for state

BHUBANESWAR: The state government has demanded the Centre to run three Vande Bharat Express trains in Odisha while the Indian Railways started trial runs of Vande Bharat Express in Howrah-Puri route on Friday.
In a letter to railway minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, state transport minister Tukuni Sahu on Thursday urged the Union minister to run Vande Bharat in three routes- Puri-Howrah, Puri-Rourkela and Bhubaneswar-Hyderabad.
She said the Puri to Rourkela Vande Bharat train connecting Sambalpur will facilitate faster passenger movement from western Odisha districts to the state capital. It will boost intra-state economic activity and connect the airports in Jharsuguda, Rourkela and Bhubaneswar.
She also said that a large number of Odia people are staying in Hyderabad, capital city of Telangana. Bhubaneswar-Hyderabad Vande Bharat train will facilitate faster movement of passengers between two capital cities.
Sahu in her letter mentioned that Odisha has been witnessing rapid economic growth in the last two decades and has attracted the highest investment during the last couple of years. “We have been demanding rapid expansion of the rail network in the state, time and again, as the state can contribute immensely to the country’s economy,” read the letter.
The Odisha minister stated that Vande Bharat Express trains have been introduced across the country to give faster connectivity, except Odisha.
On Friday, Indian Railways conducted a trial run of Howrah-Puri Vande Bharat Express. The train departed Howrah at 6.10am and reached Puri at 12.35 pm on Friday. The train again returned to Howrah on the same day. “The train was running as per schedule,” said East Coast Railway (ECoR) sources.
It halted at six stations- Kharagpur, Bhadrak, Jajpur-Keonjhar Road, Cuttack, Bhubaneswar and Khurda- between Howrah and Puri. It halted at stations for two minutes only.
Second trial run will be held on April 30 from Howrah to Bhadrak and then Bhadrak to Howrah. Similarly, the third trial run will be decided on May 1 after getting an update from the Railway Board regarding inauguration of Vande Bharat Express rake, said the official sources.
Sources said the train is likely to chug through Odisha tracks in early May. For this, the Indian Railways is holding the trial runs.