Prime Minister Narendra Modi will flag off the Bhopal-New Delhi Vande Bharat Express train at Rani Kamalapati station in Bhopal on 1 April, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said on Wednesday.
PM Modi will also take part in the Combined Commanders’ Conference on the same day.
The Vande Bharat Express train between Bhopal and the national capital will cover 708 km distance in 7.45 hours, he said.
“PM Modi will be visiting Madhya Pradesh. During his visit to Bhopal on 1 April, he will give a big gift to the people of the state in the form of Vande Bharat Express, which he will flag off from the Rani Kamalapati station for New Delhi,” the MP Chief Minister said.
The Delhi-Bhopal Vande Bharat express with a travel time of around seven hours and 45 minutes will cover a distance of 709 Km via Agra Cantt station.
The Vande Bharat Express will be faster than the Shatabdi Express by an hour and will depart from the Bhopal division early in the morning, meeting a long-standing demand from commuters who had to reach the national capital a day before their international flights departing in the afternoon.
The 16-coach train set boasts a new design for the propulsion system and bogies, allowing it to reach a maximum speed of 160 Kmph in the Palwal-Agra section, 130 Kmph in the Agra-Lalitpur section, and 120 Kmph in the Lalitpur-Bina section.
To avoid timing conflicts with an already operating train that departs to Delhi on Saturdays at 5.55 am, Vande Bharat express will be given rest on that day, according to a railway official quoted in a Economic Times report.
This 24-hour pause will allow the railways to inspect and strengthen the rail track, as well as overhaul the train, the official said.
Vande Bharat Express will leave Rani Kamlapati railway station at 5.55 am, stop at Agra Cantt railway station at 11.40 am for five minutes, and arrive at New Delhi at 1.45 pm, according to the proposed schedule.
On return journey, the Vande Bharat train will depart from New Delhi at 2.45 pm, reach Agra Cantt at 4.45 pm and terminate at Rani Kamlapati railway station at 10.45 pm.
Vande Bharat Express tickets are expected to cost 10-15 per cent more than Shatabdi Express fares.
On 1 April, PM Modi will also participate in the Combined Commanders’ Conference of the three forces on the same day.
Heads of three armed forces, the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will also participate in the event.
The conference will be held from 30 March to 1 April, Chouhan said.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will arrive in the state on March 30 to take part in the conference, he added.
(With inputs from PTI)