Overview

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagged off the 71st Vande Bharat train, running between Patliputra station in Patna and Gorakhpur through Muzaffarpur and Bettiah.
• The service is expected to shorten travel times by approximately two hours compared with existing trains.
• The fully air-conditioned Vande Bharat Express is equipped with automatic doors, sensor-based controls, bio-vacuum toilets, LED display panels and the Kavach safety system.
• It will operate six days a week except Saturdays at an initial speed of 110 km/h, with plans to raise maximum speeds to 130–140 km/h.
• Modi also inaugurated the Vaishali-Deoria railway line, constructed at a cost of over Rs 400 crore, to further enhance regional connectivity in Bihar.