Today, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will launch the first Vande Bharat Express in the northeast

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will launch Assam’s first Vande Bharat Express through video conference on Monday at noon.
This will also be the region’s first Vande Bharat service.

The train will run between Guwahati and New Jalpaiguri, saving nearly an hour of travel time over the current fastest train between the two cities. It will complete the 410-kilometer route in five and a half hours. The 18th Vande Bharat Express service will begin operations today (Monday).

It will run six days a week and stop at six stations: New Alipurduar, Kokrajhar, New Bongaigaon, and Kamakhya, as well as connections in New Jalpaiguri and Guwahati.

The train will leave New Jalpaiguri at 6:10 a.m. and arrive in Guwahati at midday. The Vande Bharat Express will leave Guwahati at 4.30 p.m. and arrive in New Jalpaiguri around 10:20 p.m.

PM Modi will also dedicate 182 km of newly electrified road. According to a government statement, this will assist provide pollution-free transportation by allowing trains to run at higher speeds and for a shorter period of time.

It will also allow trains powered by electric traction to reach Meghalaya.

PM Modi will dedicate a freshly built DEMU/MEMU shed at Lumding, Assam. This new facility will aid in the maintenance of DEMU rakes operating in the region, resulting in improved operational feasibility.