PM Modi to virtually flag off Vande Bharat in Andhra Pradesh on January 15

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will flag off the second Vande Bharat express in south India, in virtual mode, from Secunderabad on Sunday on the occasion of Sankranti.

The semi-high-speed train will run between Secunderabad and Visakhapatnam, via Vijayawada, connecting the two Telugu states, and covering the distance of 793 Km in about nine hours.

Meanwhile, the Andhra Pradesh police has on Thursday arrested three miscreants who pelted stones at the train in Vizag on Wednesday evening, damaging two glass window panes.

“Sankranti gift to Telugu people”

The fastest train on the Vizag-Secunderabad route at present is Duronto which takes 10.30 hours, with one stoppage at Vijayawada. Vande Bharat will have four stops - Warangal, Khammam, Vijayawada and Rajahmundry.

Union tourism minister Kishan Reddy termed the eighth Vande Bharat train in the country as “a Sankranti gift to the People of Telangana & Andhra Pradesh providing a major boost to rail connectivity in both the states.”

In November, PM Modi flagged off the first Vande Bharat train in the south, connecting Mysore and Chennai, at an event in Bengaluru.

Railways minister Ashwini Vaishnaw and Reddy, the Secunderabad Lok Sabha MP, will be physically present at the Secunderabad railway station for the event on Sunday morning.

“The train with 16 coaches has a seating capacity of 1128 persons. Ticket rates for the executive and chair car could be notified on Friday. After the inaugural run on January 15, public can avail of the regular service from January 16 onwards,” South Central and East Coast Railway officials told DH.

Stone pelting miscreants arrested

The new Vande Bharat rake arrived at the Vizag railway station from Chennai on Wednesday afternoon.

“When it was being moved to the new coach care complex at Marripalem for maintenance, at about 7:00 pm, some miscreants in inebriated condition pelted stones at the train passing through Kancharapalem area. Two glass panes of two coaches were damaged in the incident. Based on CCTV footage, three men were arrested by the police,” a EcoR official said, adding that necessary repairs, replacements were carried out and the rake was sent to Secunderabad.

As per the schedule announced by minister Reddy earlier, PM Modi was to arrive in Telangana on 19 January to inaugurate the Vande Bharat express, and “undertake Bhumi Puja or dedication to nation projects worth over Rs 7,000 crore” in the poll-bound state.

The list includes the foundation laying of redevelopment works at the Secunderabad Railway Station with Rs 699 crore and bhumi puja for Rail Periodic Overhauling Workshop at Kazipet to be constructed with Rs 521 crore.