Bhubaneswar, Sep 24 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi virtually flagged off the Puri-Rourkela Vande Bharat Express on Sunday.
Though the train will run between Puri and Rourkela, the inaugural function was held in Bhubaneswar.
Odisha Governor Prof Ganeshi Lal, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, and local MPs and MLAs were present at the flag-off ceremony.
This is the second Vande Bharat Express for Odisha. Earlier, the Puri-Howrah Vande Bharat Express was launched on May 18.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi also flagged off nine Vande Bharat Express trains on Sunday to help improve connectivity across 11 states, namely Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Bihar, West Bengal, Kerala, Odisha, Jharkhand, and Gujarat.
Speaking on the occasion, Dharmendra Pradhan requested the Railway Minister run a third Vande Bharat Express in Odisha from Puri to Raipur.
The second Vande Bharat Express will connect the abode of Lord Jagannath, the holy city of Puri, with the steel city of Rourkela (the Industrial Capital of Odisha).
It will also connect Capital City Bhubaneswar, the Industrial Area at Angul, and Jharsuguda enroute. This premium service will offer the fastest rail connectivity between Puri and Rourkela and will run six days a week, except Saturday.
The Puri- Rourkela Vande Bharat Express will cover a distance of 505 km in 7 hours and 45 minutes from Puri to Rourkela, connecting coastal Odisha with western Odisha.
