The much-anticipated Howrah-NJP Vande Bharat Express reached Howrah Station on Tuesday afternoon and since then it has been the centre of attraction. The luxury train, with more than 1,100 seating capacity, will soon run between Howrah and New Jalpaiguri and would take less than eight hours for the journey. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will flag off the Vande Bharat Express service from Howrah to New Jalpaiguri on December 30. Even though the timing and the fare have not been finalised, the Indian Railways' officials guaranteed that it would be a completely different experience. “With a number of new features, the train would run at an average speed of 100 kmph to 130 kmph and would halt only at Bolpur and Malda. This is why the train will be able to complete the 12-hour journey in about 7.30 hours,” said a railway official. Out of the total 16 coaches, two are drivers’ coaches, two are executive coaches and the rest are normal chair cars. Each of the normal chair cars (in picture) will have a total of 78 seats in two rows. Specially designed tables are one of the major attractions. My Kolkata took a tour of the train on Tuesday
All images by Amit Datta/My Kolkata
One of the major attractions of the executive coaches is the revolving chairs. The seating arrangement is two-by-two. The recliner seats have snack tables folded in the armrests. This will be the first Vande Bharat Express to operate in West Bengal and also in the eastern parts of the country. The service will run six days a week
