Bhubaneswar: Prime Minister Narendra Modi today flagged off six new Vande Bharat Express trains including two for Odisha. 

Modi flagged off the trains on virtual mode during a programme in Ranchi for Jharkhand, Bihar, Odisha and Uttar Pradesh. 

The PM was scheduled to flag off the trains from Tatanagar but his chopper could not take off due to poor visibility and inclement weather conditions.

Among six, Odisha received two semi-high-speed Vande Bharat trains, Berhampur-Tatanagar Express and Rourkela-Howrah Express.

With this, the number of Vande Bharat trains passing through Odisha, increased to five. 

According to East Coast Railway (ECoR), Berhampur-Tatanagar Vande Bharat will have stoppages at Banspani, Keonjhar, Harichandanpur, Jakhapura, Cuttack, Bhubaneswar, Khurda Road and Balugaon in Odisha. 

Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi was present at Berhampur Railway Station during the inauguration of the Berhampur-Tatanagar Vande Bharat train. The inaugural special train left the station at 11.00 AM and is scheduled to reach Tatanagar at 11.45 PM. 

Similarly, Rourkela-Howrah Vande Bharat Express will have only three stoppages -- Chakradharpur, Tatanagar and Kharagpur -- between the originating and destination stations. The train departed from Rourkela Railway Station at 11.00 AM and will reach Howrah at 6.15 PM. 

At present, three Vande Bharat trains are running through the state. The PM had flagged off the first Vande Bharat train on Puri-Howrah route in May last year. The second train was launched on Puri-Rourkela route in September 2023 and the third is running between Bhubaneswar and Vizag since March this year.