Secunderabad-Visakhapatnam Vande Bharat train service gets virtual flag off from PM

Hyderabad, Jan 15 In a Sankranti gift to the two Telugu states, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Sunday, gave the Vande Bharat train service connecting Secunderabad and Visakhapatnam, a flag off virtually. This is the eighth Vande Bharat service to be launched in the country and also the first such service between Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.

With many tourism and religious sites falling along this train's route, the service will benefit devotees and tourists," the Prime Minister observed.

"Today, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh are getting a splendid gift. The Vande Bharat Express, in a way, is going to connect the shared culture and heritage of the two states," the Prime Minister stated on the occasion.

Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, Union Tourism and Culture Minister G. Kishan Reddy, Telangana Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan were present at the Secunderabad railway station for the inauguration of south India's second Vande Bharat service.

The train will cover the distance of around 700 km in eight and a half hours, with stoppages at Warangal and Khammam in Telangana, and Vijayawada and Rajahmundry in Andhra Pradesh.

Operating six days a week, the train consists of 16 coaches which include two executive chair coaches. Starting Monday, the train will leave from Secunderabad at 3 p.m. and Visakhapatnam at 5.45 a.m. every day, except on Sundays.

This will be South India's second Vande Bharat Express train after the one between Chennai and Mysore. The first Vande Bharat train was launched on February 15, 2019, between New Delhi and Varanasi, and the seventh train in December last year.