Services of the recently-introduced Vande Bharat train between Howrah and Puri were resumed today after a day’s halt. Three days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagged off the train virtually from Puri, the semi-high speed was damaged on 21 May during a thunderstorm.A branch of a tree fell on the train near Jajpur station in Odisha.
Two windows, windshield, electrical wiring, pantograph, overhead equipment and some part of the front of the rake were damaged during the storm when the train was bound for Howrah from Puri.
The railways deployed a high-speed diesel engine and after a halt of around four hours the train reached Howrah station in the wee hours of Monday. Following the damages, the train was halted from services for a day, yesterday, and repairs were carried out on war footing.
The train was rolled out for normal services today. The train runs six days a week, except on Thursdays. The Howrah-Puri Vande Bharat Express starts from Howrah at 6.10 am and reaches Puri at 12.35 pm, the same day. On the return journey, it starts from Puri at 1.50 pm and arrives at Howrah at 8.30 pm, the same day