New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to flag off nine Vande Bharat trains on Sunday at 12:30 pm through video conferencing. The launch of these trains will connect religious and tourist destinations across 11 states. The states that will benefit from the launch of Vande Bharat trains include Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Bihar, West Bengal, Kerala, Odisha, Jharkhand and Gujarat, read a press release from the PM Office.

The new trains that will be flagged off are Udaipur Jaipur Vande Bharat Express, Tirunelveli-Madurai- Chennai Vande Bharat Express, Hyderabad, Bengaluru Vande Bharat Express, Vijayawada, Chennai (via Renigunta) Vande Bharat Express, Patna, Howrah Vande Bharat Express, Kasaragod – Thiruvananthapuram Vande Bharat Express, Rourkela – Bhubaneswar, Puri Vande Bharat Express, Ranchi Howrah Vande Bharat Express and Jamnagar-Ahmedabad Vande Bharat Express.

These Vande Bharat trains will be the fastest trains along the routes of their operation and will help save considerable time for the passengers.

As compared to the current fastest train along the route, Rourkela- Bhubaneswar Puri Vande Bharat Express and Kasaragod – Thiruvananthapuram Vande Bharat Express will be faster by about 3 hours; Hyderabad Bengaluru Vande Bharat Express by more than 2.5 hours; Tirunelveli-Madurai- Chennai Vande Bharat Express by more than 2 hours; Ranchi Howrah Vande Bharat Express, Patna Howrah Vande Bharat Express and Jamnagar-Ahmedabad Vande Bharat Express by about 1 hour; and Udaipur – Jaipur Vande Bharat Express by about half an hour.

“In line with the Prime Minister’s vision to improve connectivity of important religious places across the country, Rourkela- Bhubaneswar Puri Vande Bharat Express and Tirunelveli-Madurai- Chennai Vande Bharat Express will connect important religious towns of Puri and Madurai. Also, the Vijayawada Chennai Vande Bharat Express will operate via the Renigunta route and will provide connectivity to the Tirupati Pilgrimage Centre,” the PMO statement added.

“The introduction of these Vande Bharat trains will herald a new standard of rail service in the country. These trains, equipped with world-class amenities and advanced safety features, including Kavach technology, will be a key step towards providing modern, speedy and comfortable means of travel to common people, professionals, businessmen, student community and tourists,” the PMO statement added.

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