PM Narendra Modi virtually flags off six Vande Bharat trains at Ranchi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Pic/PTI

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday virtually flagged off six Vande Bharat trains for Jharkhand, Odisha, Bihar and UP at Ranchi, reported PTI.

Earlier, PM Narendra Modi was scheduled to flag off the trains from Tatanagar but his chopper could not take off due to poor visibility and inclement weather conditions, reported PTI.

On the occasion, Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Jharkhand Governor Santosh Kumar Gangwar were present at Tatanagar station, reported PTI

The new trains will run on the Tatanagar-Patna, Brahmapur-Tatanagar, Rourkela-Howrah, Deoghar-Varanasi, Bhagalpur-Howrah and Gaya-Howrah routes.

The trains will offer faster connectivity, the Prime Minister's Office said in a statement.

The introduction of these Vande Bharat Express trains will benefit regular travellers, professionals, business and student communities, reported PTI.

These trains will boost religious tourism in the region by providing a faster mode of commute to pilgrimage sites like Baidyanath Dham in Deoghar (Jharkhand), Kashi Vishwanath temple in Varanasi (Uttar Pradesh), Kalighat, Belur Math in Kolkata (West Bengal) etc.

Coal and mines industries in Dhanbad, jute industries in Kolkata, iron & steel allied sector in Durgapur will also get a major boost, the statement added, reported PTI.

PM Narendra Modi also laid the foundation stone and dedicated to the nation various railway Projects worth more than Rs 660 crore, reported ANI.

According to the Ministry of Railways, over 50 trains are running across the Indian Railways, connecting states having Broad Gauge (B.G.) electrified networks, reported ANI.

As an excellent example of the 'Make in India' success story, the Indian Railways launched India's first indigenous semi-high-speed train, the Vande Bharat Express, reported ANI.

The first Vande Bharat trains was flagged off on February 15, 2019, on the New Delhi-Kanpur-Allahabad-Varanasi route, running at a speed of 160 kilometres per hour, reported ANI.

The Vande Bharat trains represents the future of Indian Railways, embodying the country's commitment to innovation, self-reliance, and sustainable development. As more routes are added and services expanded, the Vande Bharat Express trains will continue to play a pivotal role in transforming the travel experience for millions of passengers across India.

(With inputs from PTI and ANI)