With great hoopla, Prime Minister Narendra Modi essentially launched the Vande Bharat Express connecting Visakhapatnam and Bhubaneswar on Tuesday. This is the inaugural Vande Bharat Express, serving the districts of North Andhra, including Srikakulam and Vizianagaram.
Since the introduction of the first Vande Bharat Express via Visakhapatnam and Secunderabad in January 2023, there are now three Vande Bharat trains running from Visakhapatnam.
At 9:15 a.m., the Prime Minister launched the train and the other ten Vande Bharat trains that left Ahmedabad. Late in the evening, another Vande Bharat Express from Secunderabad arrived at the railway station to a boisterous ovation.
With posters inviting passengers for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s virtual flagging off of the Visakhapatnam-Bhubaneswar Vande Bharat express on Tuesday, the railway station was tidied up and given a festive appearance.
At the Visakhapatnam junction, a stage was set up on Platform No. 1 (PF-1) near the north end, and a red carpet was spread out across the platform. To put it mildly, the sight of the new train’s orange livery next to the meeting point on the platform was striking.
The vibrant canopy and the orange blossoms complemented the atmosphere. To allow guests and visitors to observe the event via video conference, a huge screen was set up on the stage.
At the inaugural celebration, authorities and guests included S.V. Adinarayana and Kutikuppala Surya Rao, recipients of the Padma Shri award, Divisional Railway Manager Saurabh Prasad, Divisional Manager Haritha of the AP Tourism Development Corporation (APTDC), and other officials.
The DRM, speaking to the assembly, conveyed his joy that Visakhapatnam will soon receive two additional Vande Bharat trains, one headed to Bhubaneswar and the other to Secunderabad. With the introduction of the first Vande Bharat express between Visakhapatnam and Secunderabad in January 2023, there are now three Vande Bharat trains running from Visakahpatnam.
According to him, the Prime Minister also dedicated to the country various infrastructure projects over the Waltair Division, such as the completed portions of the doubling works over the K-K line, the third line between Vizianagaram and Titlagarh, and a goods shed developed at a cost of ₹3.5 crore at Dumuriput in Koraput.
There are eight carriages on the Visakhapatnam-Bhubaneswar Vande Bharat express. There are 530 seats available in all seven Chair Cars, and one Executive Chair Car will feature 52 seats. The Waltair Division gave the passengers souvenir tickets. The cutting-edge amenities within the new train, like as CCTV displays, LCD screens, and audio systems to display and announce the approaching stations, delighted the passengers when they boarded at Visakhapatnam.
A female student was obviously thrilled to see the train’s speed and other amenities shown in real time. She said it was a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
Regular services of the Vande Bharat Express 20841/20842 Bhubaneswar – Visakhapatnam – Bhubaneswar will begin on March 17; regular services of the Vande Bharat Express 20707/20708 Secunderabad – Visakhapatnam – Secunderabad will begin on March 13.
