Varanasi, 08 Nov (HS): Prime Minister Narendra Modi will shortly flag off four

Vande Bharat trains from platform number eight of Banaras (Manduwadih) railway

station in his parliamentary constituency Varanasi on Saturday. He will also

flag off the Vande Bharat train from Banaras to Khajuraho. This is the 8th

Vande Bharat train to be received by Varanasi. Even before the Prime Minister's

arrival at the station, passengers and school children started arriving to

board the train from early morning. The luggage of the passengers was checked

before boarding the Vande Bharat train parked on the platform of the station.

The special thing is that a rangoli has been made at the Banaras railway

station in the shape of the Vande Bharat Express train. This rangoli is the

centre of attraction for the passengers.

The Banaras–Khajuraho Vande Bharat Express will be the

first Vande Bharat Express train to connect Kashi with three religious cities:

Kashi, Vindhyachal (Mirzapur), and Chitrakoot. This will promote religious

tourism. This eight-coach train has seven chair cars, and one executive coach.

Due to security reasons, train operations have been suspended from platforms 6

to 8 at Banaras station. The Banaras–Khajuraho Vande Bharat Express will provide

direct connectivity between Banaras and Khajuraho. Compared to existing special

trains, the Vande Bharat Express will save approximately 2 hours and 40

minutes. This train will connect major religious and cultural centers like

Varanasi, Prayagraj, and Chitrakoot.

Similarly, the Lucknow–Saharanpur Vande Bharat Express

will cover the distance from Lucknow to Saharanpur in approximately 7 hour 45

minutes. This will benefit passengers from Lucknow, Sitapur, Shahjahanpur,

Bareilly, Moradabad, Bijnor, and Saharanpur. It will also make travel to

Haridwar via Roorkee easier. The Firozpur–Delhi Vande Bharat Express will be

the fastest train on its route. It will strengthen connectivity between Delhi

and major cities of Punjab like Bathinda and Patiala. The Ernakulam–Bengaluru

Vande Bharat Express will reach Bengaluru from Ernakulam in 8 hours and 40

minutes, saving passengers over 2 hours of travel time. The Railway Minister

inspected the Banaras Railway Station late in the evening. Railway Minister

Ashwini Vaishnav, who reached Varanasi late on Friday evening, inspected

platform number eight of Banaras railway station and checked the arrangements.

He said that on Saturday Prime Minister Narendra Modi will flag off four Vande

Bharat services from Varanasi station. These four Vande Bharat services will

provide great convenience to the railway passengers. While talking to the

media, he said that more than 7 crore 25 lakh passengers have travelled in

Vande Bharat so far. Be it Amrit Bharat train, Namo Bharat train or Vande

Bharat train, new generation trains are being introduced so that the focus can

be on the convenience of the passengers. He said that work is going on at 1,300

stations in the country. During this, the Chairman of the Railway Board and

other officers were also present.

Hindusthan Samachar / Abhishek Awasthi