Prime Minister Narendra Modi will flag off India’s first Vande Bharat Sleeper Train on the Guwahati–Howrah route during his visit to Assam and West Bengal.
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DIMAPUR — Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit West Bengal and Assam on January 17 and 18, during which he will flag off India’s first Vande Bharat Sleeper Train between Guwahati (Kamakhya) and Howrah and inaugurate and lay foundation stones for rail and road infrastructure projects worth over INR 4,000 crore.
On January 17, the Prime Minister will visit Malda and flag off the Vande Bharat Sleeper Train at Malda Town Railway Station. The train will operate on the Howrah–Guwahati (Kamakhya) route and is expected to reduce travel time by about 2.5 hours.
Later in the day, the Prime Minister will dedicate to the nation and lay the foundation stone of multiple rail and road projects worth more than INR 3,250 crore at a public function in Malda. The projects are aimed at strengthening connectivity and supporting development in West Bengal and the North-Eastern region, according to an update from the NFR.
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The Vande Bharat Sleeper Train is fully air-conditioned and designed for long-distance travel. It is intended to provide faster and more comfortable overnight journeys on the Howrah–Guwahati corridor, which is a key route linking eastern India with the Northeast.
During the Malda visit, the Prime Minister will also lay the foundation stone for four railway projects in West Bengal, including a new rail line between Balurghat and Hili, next-generation freight maintenance facilities at New Jalpaiguri, upgradation of the Siliguri loco shed, and modernisation of Vande Bharat train maintenance facilities in Jalpaiguri district.
He will dedicate to the nation the electrification of the New Coochbehar–Bamanhat and New Coochbehar–Boxirhat rail sections. These projects are expected to enable faster and more energy-efficient train operations in the region.
The Prime Minister will virtually flag off four new Amrit Bharat Express trains — New Jalpaiguri–Nagercoil, New Jalpaiguri–Tiruchirappalli, Alipurduar–SMVT Bengaluru, and Alipurduar–Mumbai (Panvel). He will also flag off two new LHB-coach train services, Radhikapur–SMVT Bengaluru Express and Balurghat–SMVT Bengaluru Express.
In addition, the Prime Minister will lay the foundation stone for the rehabilitation and four-laning of the Dhupguri–Falakata section of National Highway-31D, a key road project in North Bengal.
On January 18, the Prime Minister will inaugurate, lay foundation stones and flag off various development projects worth about INR 830 crore at Singur in Hooghly district of West Bengal.
The visit will also include the flagging off of two Amrit Bharat Express trains between Guwahati (Kamakhya)–Rohtak and Dibrugarh–Lucknow (Gomti Nagar), aimed at strengthening rail connectivity between the Northeast and northern India.