Ranchi-Howrah Vande Bharat before Durga Puja this yr: MP

Ranchi/Hazaribag: Jharkhand will soon get another Vande Bharat Express connecting Ranchi and Howrah stations, Ranchi MP Sanjay Seth announced on Tuesday.“The Vande Bharat Express between Ranchi and Patna will give a big boost to the state’s tourism and commerce. However, this is not going to be the only one. Another Vande Bharat Express will operate between Ranchi and Howrah railway station (in West Bengal). The train will be introduced before Durga Puja this year,” Seth announced at a function organised by the Ranchi railway division of the South Eastern Railways to mark the inaugural run of the Patna-Ranchi-Patna Vande Bharat Express.Seth also claimed that he has recently requested Union railway minister Ashwini Vaishnaw to consider operating another Vande Bharat train between Ranchi and Varanasi. The officials of the Ranchi railway division and the South Eastern Railways, however, declined to comment on Seth’s statement.Notably, the first Vande Bharat train originating out of Jharkhand was planned between Ranchi and Howrah railway stations in 2021. However, the project has been kept on the back burner since.Hazaribag MP Jayant Sinha said the launch of Patna-Ranchi-Patna Vande Bharat marks an important day for the people of Hazaribag, who were for long demanding a high-speed regular passenger train from here. “It will boost business from Hazaribag and Patna as well as Ranchi,” he said, while addressing a functioning on the occasion of launch of this train at Hazaribag railway station.Sinha also travelled from Ranchi to Hazaribag on the inaugural day along with Koderma MP Annapurna Devi and other lawmakers mostly of BJP. He added, He added based on his proposal, Union railway ministry is also considering a daily inter-city express between Ranchi and Koderma via Hazaribag soon.“This train will benefit passengers of other stations where Vande Bharat has no stoppage. Discussion is also on to introduce Rajdhani between Ranchi and Delhi at least once or twice a week via Koderma line as it will reduce six hours travel time,” he said. (With inputs from Abhijit Sen in Hazaribag)