Bhubaneswar: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday flagged off the Santragachi–Tambaram Amrit Bharat Express train through video conferencing during his visit to West Bengal.

Odisha stoppages under East Coast Railway

The weekly train will pass through several key stations in Odisha under the East Coast Railway (ECoR) jurisdiction. The scheduled stoppages include Balasore, Bhadrak, Jajpur–Keonjhar Road, Cuttack, Bhubaneswar, Khurda Road, Balugaon and Brahmapur (Berhampur).

After departing Santragachi, the train is scheduled to reach Bhadrak at 6.30 pm, Jajpur–Keonjhar Road at 7 pm, Cuttack at 8 pm, Bhubaneswar at 8.30 pm and Khurda Road at 8.45 pm on the day of its journey.

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Strengthening east–south rail connectivity

The Santragachi–Tambaram Amrit Bharat Express is expected to significantly enhance rail connectivity between eastern India and major southern metropolitan and suburban regions, offering passengers an affordable and comfortable long-distance travel option.

Weekly schedule and coach composition

The train will operate as a weekly service, departing Tambaram on Fridays and Santragachi on Saturdays, with a rake of 22 coaches. From Tambaram, it will leave at 3.30 pm on Fridays and arrive at Santragachi at 8.15 pm on Saturdays. On the return journey, the train will depart Santragachi at 10 am on Mondays and reach Tambaram at 11 pm on Tuesdays.

More trains flagged off in West Bengal

During the event, the Prime Minister also flagged off two additional trains in West Bengal — the Howrah–Anand Vihar Terminal train and the Sealdah–Banaras train.

Expansion of Amrit Bharat network

Earlier in the day, PM Modi flagged off two new Amrit Bharat Express trains in Assam — the Dibrugarh–Gomtinagar Amrit Bharat Express and the Kamakhya–Rohtak Amrit Bharat Express — marking another step towards expanding India’s long-distance rail network.

On Saturday, four more Amrit Bharat Express trains were inaugurated on the Alipurduar–SMVT Bengaluru, Alipurduar–Mumbai, New Jalpaiguri–Nagercoil and New Jalpaiguri–Tiruchirappalli routes.

Nine new services introduced

The latest launches are part of the introduction of nine new Amrit Bharat Express services, aimed at meeting rising passenger demand while improving connectivity and providing affordable, comfortable long-distance rail travel across the country.