PM to flag off Vande Bharat in Madhya Pradesh on April 1

In the series of launching Vande Bharat Express (VBE), the 11th edition of the fastest train in the country is going to start from Madhya Pradesh’s Bhopal on April 1, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to flag off the railroad car.

The PM is also expected to attend a national conference of top military commanders, which will be held in the Kushabahu Thackrey Convention Centre in the city.

PM Modi will visit the state on Saturday, and during his tour he will be flagging off the VBE train from Rani Kamla Pati Railway Station of Bhopal and addressing the commanders’ conference, which is going to start on March 30, sources said.

The third trial run of the VBE, formerly named Train 18, was conducted on Tuesday between New Delhi (NDLS) and Bhopal’s Rani Kamla Pati Railway Station (RKMP). Before this, two trials of the train have been done.

The three-day combined commanders’ conference is scheduled to be held from March 30 to April 1, in which Defence Minister Rajnath Singh is likely to take part on Thursday.

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Wednesday inaugurated a ‘Fauji Mela’, which is being organised on the Motilal Vigyan Mahavidhyalay playground ahead of the conference.

The PM is expected to discuss the present security challenges and the implementation of ongoing schemes and projects for enhancing integration and jointness in the defence forces with the military commanders. Among the top military leaders of the country, the Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chouhan, the Chief of Army Staff General Manoj Pande, Chief of Air Staff Air Marshal V R Choudhary and the Chief of Naval Staff Admiral R Hari Kumar will take part in the conference.

Apart from these, the command chiefs of all services will also be present at the conference. According to Railways sources, the train will run between RKMP and New Delhi (NDLS) stations, covering a distance of 694 kilometres in 7:45 hours, it will run on its track from April 1.

The fastest train will run on the route 6 days a week. The operation of the VBE will be closed on Sundays, and the schedule of the train will be of departing from the RKMP of the state capital at 5:55 am and reaching NDLS at 1:45 pm. On the other hand, leaving the NDLS at 2:45 pm and arriving at RKPRS at 10:45 pm, the sources said. As of now, there will be one stoppage on the route, which will at Agra railway station and the fare is not been decided yet. The rake of the train reached RKMP station on Sunday from its manufacturing unit in Nagpur, with state-of-the-art amenities. The soundproof train will have a total of 16 coaches including 14 AC chair cars and 2 executive classes.

The state will also get another VBE train soon, which will run between Indore and Jabalpur, the sources also said. PM’s programme has not come official yet, but the preparations are in full swing at the Rani Kamla Pati railway station and the Fausi Mela according to the possible scheduled visit.