Bhubaneswar: Howrah-Puri Vande Bharat Express will be flagged off at the Puri Railway Station on May 18, East Coast Railway sources said.
Earlier, the inaugural run of the semi-high-speed train was earlier scheduled for May 15 but now it has been rescheduled to May 18.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will virtually flag off at 12 noon on May 18.
Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw and Union Education and Skill Development Minister Dharmendra Pradhan are likely to be present at Puri railway station during the flagging-off ceremony, sources added.
Notably, the Indian Railways conducted the trial run of Vande Bharat Express between Puri and Howrah on April 28. Two days later, the second trial was held from Howrah to Bhadrak and then Bhadrak to Howrah.
The stoppages for the trial run were Kharagpur, Balasore, Bhadrak, Jajpur-Keonjhar Road, Cuttack, Bhubaneswar and Khurda between Howrah and Puri with halt of two minutes at the stations.
The Vande Bharat Express will operate between Howrah and Puri, with fewer stops in between.
