PM Modi virtually flags off Northeast's first Vande Bharat Express

Prime Minister Narendra Modi virtually flagged off Northeast India's first Vande Bharat Express train from Guwahati to New Jalpaiguri in West Bengal on Monday. Modi symbolically waved a green flag on the screen to launch the train from Guwahati station, where Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, Governor Gulab Chand Kataria, and Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw were present.

This new train will save approximately an hour of travel time between Guwahati to New Jalpaiguri when compared to the present quickest train connecting the two locations. As per reports, this new Vande Bharat Express will cover the journey in five and a half hours, while the current quickest train takes six and a half hours.

Speaking about the importance of the day, PM Modi said, "Today is a big day for the rail connectivity of the entire North East, including Assam." "This Vande Bharat Express will make the life of the people living here easier and this will also give a boost to the tourism sector of the state," the prime minister added.

Taking a jab at the previous government, Modi stated, "The last nine years have been unprecedented achievements for India, of building a new India. After coming to power, our government gave the highest priority to the welfare of the poor." "Infrastructure is for all, equally, without discrimination. That's why this infrastructure construction is also true social justice, in a way, true secularism," he added.

Earlier, Railway Minister Vaishnaw remarked that the train will help the Centre's "Act East Policy" significantly. "It is a matter of happiness that PM Modi will flag off the Northeast's first Vande Bharat Express today. Earlier it was Look East but now it is Act East," Vaishnaw told ANI. The policy seeks to cultivate extensive commercial and strategic ties with Southeast Asian nations.