Guwahati
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to flag off the first Vande Bharat Express of northeast, connecting Guwahati and New Jalpaiguri, on April 14, a senior official said on Friday. The Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) has already begun preparatory work for the grand launch of the fastest train of India in this region. Yes, it is true that Vande Bharat Express will be launched soon in the northeast. We are targeting April 14 to launch this special train when the Prime Minister will be visiting Guwahati, the official told on condition of anonymity. Modi is scheduled to visit Guwahati on April 14 to witness a Bihu performance by 11,140 dancers and drummers, in their attempt to register it as the ‘largest recital of the folk dance form’ in Guinness World Records. According to the official, he may also flag off the new service during his visit to the state. The NFR, at present, runs Vande Bharat Express only between Howrah and New Jalpaiguri, both in West Bengal.
He also issued instructions to the electrical department to form a crew of trained personnel to run the trains. Earlier this month, a parliamentary standing committee on Railways had raised concern over the pace of production of Vande Bharat trains and said that only eight rakes have been manufactured thus far in 2022-23, against the target of 35 for the year.
