After a long wait, the PuriHowrah Vande Bharat and New Garia-Ruby Metro trains are expected to see the green signal next week. The two stretches could be flagged-off by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 15 May.
The flagging off ceremony is likely to take place from Puri and the preparations are being carried out accordingly.
The PM is expected to virtually flag-off the Metro stretch during the upcoming inaugural ceremony but an official communication, according to sources, is yet to be received from the central authorities.
Expecting the inaugural, the authorities last week carried out trial runs in the New Garia-Ruby Metro stretch as a preparatory measure. Earlier, while gearing up for commercial operations of the next Vande Bharat, trial runs of the premium train were also conducted between Howrah and Puri route.
Notably, the safety nod from the commissioner of railway safety given to the New Garia-Ruby Metro is said to have expired last week. The city Metro railway, however, has already sought an extension of the necessary clearance from the CRS office, according to sources.
Once operational, commuters would be able to enjoy rides from Dakshineswar to Ruby using a single token by interchanging at Kavi Subhash station. For this, an integrated ticketing system along with the fare chart has been announced by the city Metro office.