Prime Minister Narendra Modi will flag off the New Jalpaiguri-Guwahati-New Jalpaiguri Vande Bharat Express on May 29. Modi will flag off the train via video conference from New Delhi at 10:30 am on May 29.

The main ceremony will be held at Guwahati railway station and the inaugural run of the train will be from Guwahati to New Jalpaiguri. This will be the first Vande Bharat Express to operate in the northeastern region.

“The formal launch of the Vande Bharat Express will be on May 29. The Prime Minister will flag off the train via video conference,” Chief Public Relations Officer (CPRO) of Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) Sabyasachi De said on Thursday.

New Jalpaiguri-Guwahati-New Jalpaiguri Vande Bharat Express will run six days a week, while one day has been reserved for ‘maintenance’.

The train will have eight coaches and a total seating capacity of 530. It will make the journey between Guwahati and New Jalpaiguri in five hours and 50 minutes.

“However, the inaugural run will not be as per the normal time schedule. It will be dif- ferent. In the inaugural run, the Guwahati- New Jalpaiguri Vande Bharat Express will stop at a number of stations so that people, can see the train,” De said. Meanwhile, the second trial run of the Vande Bharat Express was conducted in the New Jalpaiguri-Guwa- hati-New Jalpaiguri section today. The first trial run was carried out on May 21.

The Vande Bharat Express is the first indigenous ‘semi high speed train of India. While the Vande Bharat Express can run at a maximum speed of 160 km per hour, the train will be able to operate at a maximum speed of 110 km per hour in the New Jalpaiguri-Guwahati-New Jalpaiguri section.