Tourists in Kolkata looking forward to a trip to Puri are likely to enjoy a comfortable journey soon. If everything goes as per plan, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will virtually flag off the second route of Vande Bharat train in West Bengal in the next month.
The second route of the premium train in the state had been proposed to the Railway Board a few months back and a viability study on them was being carried out.
Of the proposed routes, talks were on to run the premium train between Ranchi and Howrah, Puri and Howrah and Ranchi and Patna. According to sources in the railways, after the HowrahNew Jalpaiguri-Howrah route being operated by the Eastern Railway, the premium train has now been allotted to the South Eastern Railway.
A rake from the Integral Coach Factory has also started from Chennai and is expected to hit the city by tonight or tomorrow.
The rake, after being brought to state would then be checked and tested for about a day before being unveiled. As informed by sources, while the rakes have been allotted to the zonal railway, the route on which the latest fleet is to be operated is yet to be communicated officially by the railway board. However, if the feasibility and other factors are to be considered, the route between Howrah and Puri could be given a green signal for the next round of commercial runs of the premium train after Howrah-New Jalpaiguri-Howrah route. According to sources, the inaugural ceremony could be a grand event like the first route of Vande Bharat between Howrah-New JalpaiguriHowrah that took place last December.