This will be the second Vande Bharat train for West Bengal.
The semi-high speed Vande Bharat Express is set to connect the temple town of Puri in Odisha with Kolkata. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will flag off the train connecting Howrah station with Puri this month, once the trial runs are over.
This will be the second Vande Bharat train for West Bengal and the first for Odisha. The first for West Bengal linking Howrah with New Jalpaiguri was launched last December.
Another Vande Bharat train, linking Patna with Ranchi, is set to be unveiled soon.
The train from Howrah is likely to depart in the morning and reach Puri in the afternoon with halts at Kharagpur, Balasore, Bhadrak, Cuttack, Bhubaneswar, and Khurda. It will return the same afternoon and reach Howrah late in the evening.
The 500-km journey will be completed in 6.5 hours at an average speed of 77 kmph and a maximum speed of 130 kmpm on certain sections of the route.
The Vande Bharat trains are modern semi-high-speed trains that are part of PM Modi's pitch to modernise railway travel and provide world class amenities to railway passengers. India currently has 15 such train but with only seating options. There are plans to include sleeping facilities too in these trains.
PM Modi had virtually launched the Howrah-New Jalpaiguri Vande Bharat train on December 30 last year. The train can achieve a maximum speed of 160 kmph and boasts of better facilities than the premium Shatabi Express.
The Prime Minister had announced that 75 Vande Bharat trains will connect every corner of the country during the 75 weeks of the Amrit Mahotsav, marking the 75 years of Independence.