PM Modi flags off 9 Vande Bharat trains; connectivity to be boosted across 11 states

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday flagged off nine Vande Bharat trains via video conferencing. The event was also attended by Union Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw. These new Vande Bharat trains will connect 11 states and will also ply to famous religious spots such as Puri, Madurai and Tirupati. 

"Nine Vande Bharat Express trains being launched today will significantly improve connectivity as well as boost tourism across India," PM Modi tweeted. These trains will strenghten connectivity across states namely Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Karnataka, West Bengal, Kerala, Odisha, Gujarat, and Jharkhand. 

These trains are equipped with world-class amenities and advanced safety features including the Kavach technology.

Nine new Vande Bharat trains are as follows: 

• Udaipur-Jaipur Vande Bharat Express
• Tirunelveli-Madurai-Chennai Vande Bharat Express
• Hyderabad-Bengaluru Vande Bharat Express 
• Vijayawada-Chennai (via Renigunta) Vande Bharat Express 
• Patna-Howrah Vande Bharat Express
• Kasaragod-Thiruvananthapuram Vande Bharat Express
• Rourkela-Bhubaneswar-Puri Vande Bharat Express
• Ranchi-Howrah Vande Bharat Express
• Jamnagar-Ahmedabad Vande Bharat Express

How much commuting time will be saved due to the nine Vande Bharat trains?

The nine Vande Bharat trains launched on Sunday will help in saving commuting time for passengers. The Rourkela-Bhubaneswar-Puri Vande Bharat Express and the Kasaragod-Thiruvananthapuram Vande Bharat Express will be faster by around three hours whereas the Hyderabad-Bengaluru Vande Bharat Express will be faster by nearly 2.5 hours.

The Tirunelveli-Madurai-Chennai Vande Bharat Express will be faster by over 2 hours whereas the Ranchi-Howrah Vande Bharat Express and the Patna-Howrah Vande Bharat Express will be faster by around an hour. The Udaipur-Jaipur Vande Bharat Express will be faster by around half an hour. 

Vande Bharat trains connectivity

The Rourkela-Bhubaneswar-Puri Vande Bharat Express and the Tirunelveli-Madurai-Chennai Vande Bharat Express will connect important religious towns of Puri and Madurai. The Vijayawada-Chennai Vande Bharat Express will operate via the Renigunta route and provide connectivity to the famous Tirupati pilgrimage centre. 

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