Railways conduct the Patna-Kolkata Vande Bharat trail run, Service could begin by the end of August

8 Aug 2023 , 01:23 AM

The trial run of the Vande Bharat Express train along the Patna-Jhajha-Asansol-Howrah route was successfully completed on Saturday, which represents an important step toward its operationalization. This is good news for travellers in Patna and Kolkata.

The testing run was finished in six and a half hours, according to a ToI report. ‘The train left Patna Junction at eight in the morning and arrived in Howrah at two thirty. The train stopped at Jasidih and Asansol stations as scheduled along its 535 km journey, which took about 6 hours and 30 minutes. It left Howrah at 3:55 p.m. on its return trip and landed at Patna Junction at about 10:35 p.m., according to Birendra Kumar, chief public relations officer (CPRO) of East Central Railway (ECR).

The Kolkata Rajdhani is the fastest train on this route, covering the distance between these two significant eastern cities in 06 hours and 55 minutes. According to some reports, the Vande Bharat service for these cities is likely to begin by the end of August following successful trials. In Bengal, this would be the fourth Vande Bharat train.

The Indian Railways is moving quickly toward making the Vande Bharat train services between Patna and Howrah fully operational for commercial purposes later this month. According to the CPRO, ‘We have finalized its fare structure and other pertinent details, which will be promptly shared with the public.’ Following the launch of the Patna-Ranchi Vande Bharat Express by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on June 27, this move marks the second Vande Bharat Express deployment in Bihar.

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