Bhubaneswar, May 12: The first Vande Bharat Express train from Odisha is likely to be flagged off on May 18. The train will run from Puri to Howrah with halt at major stations.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to flag off the Vande Bharat Express train service on May 18. However, it is not clear whether he will visit Odisha or join the programme through video-conferencing, Railway officials said, adding, "Everything will be cleared in next one or two days." Odisha Cabinet Reshuffle: School and Mass Education Minister Samir Ranjan Dash and Labour Minister Srikant Sahu Resign.

The train will cover the 500-km Puri-Howrah route in around five hours 30 minutes. At present, the Shatabdi Express is the fastest train on this route, taking around seven hours 35 minutes to cover the same distance.

The officials informed that the Puri-Howrah train will make halt at Khurda Road Junction, Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, Jajpur-Keonjhar Road, Bhadrak, Balasore, and Kharagpur.

The trial run of the Vande Bharat Express had taken place on April 28 this year and it was successful. The trial route of the train was from Howrah to Puri and then back. Odisha Ministers Resign: Speaker Bikram Keshari Arukha, Two State Ministers Resign Amid Speculations of Cabinet Reshuffle.

Following the trial run, Odisha's Commerce and Transport Minister Tukuni Sahu had demanded from Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw to introduce the Vande Bharat Express train on Puri-Howrah, Puri-Rourkela and Bhubaneswar-Hyderabad routes. Vande Bharat Express train was first launched in 2019 from Delhi to Varanasi.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 12, 2023 08:35 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).