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Gorakhpur-Lucknow Vande Bharat will be the first in the North Eastern Railway region and is likely to open on July 7 (Image: PTI/File)
This will be the first major train to Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh, and it is not connected to any Shatabdi or Rajdhani trains yet.
The long-awaited Vande Bharat Express between Lucknow and Gorakhpur is set to be launched with its test run starting on Saturday. While route details are yet to be announced, it is possible that the train may connect Ayodhya as well. It will likely open on July 7th.
This will be the first major train to Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh, and it is not connected to any Shatabdi or Rajdhani trains yet. A number of other trains connect Gorakhpur with Lucknow, among which Gorakhdam Express and Bihar Sampark Kranti Express are the fastest which complete the journey in four hours and 45 minutes.
Moreover, while Ayodhya is well connected to Lucknow, the train connection from Ayodhya to Gorakhpur is limited. Another route via Gonda and Basti provides faster train connection between Lucknow and Gorakhpur.
A railway official told News18 that the experiment was conducted on the Basti route. But the ministry has not ruled out the possibility of running the train on the Ayodhya route.
Asked about the route chosen for the trial run, the official said, “An empty Vande Bharat train arrived in Lucknow on Saturday and left later in the day for Gorakhpur.” The official said the train took the Basti route bound for Gorakhpur from Lucknow.
The Ram Mandir will be opened in Ayodhya in the new year. If the train connects to Ayodhya, it will ease the rush towards the temple. The train will be the first Vande Bharat train for the North Eastern Railway region and is likely to open on July 7. Moreover, it will be the fifth Vande Bharat train for the northern region.
This will be the second dedicated to Vande Bharat for Uttar Pradesh after one operating between Delhi and Varanasi. However, two more Vande Bharats – Delhi-Dehradun and Delhi-Bhopal – stopped in Uttar Pradesh.
Another senior official told News18 that three Vande Bharats will be launched this month. These will be between Lucknow, Gorakhpur, Chennai and Tirupati as well as Jodhpur and Ahmedabad.
“The prime minister will visit Gorakhpur on July 7. It is possible that he may open these trains from there. These are just tentative plans and when the details are finalized, he will be informed,” said the official, who requested anonymity.
Another ministry official said the plan would be announced next week. We are working on these details. By Tuesday or Wednesday, the plan will be announced. The official added that Chief Minister Vande Bharat will likely open Lucknow from Gorakhpur and the other two through video conferencing.
Last week, no fewer than five Vande Bharat pairs opened on the same day. With these trains, the total number of Vande Bharat has reached 23 or 46 services. All electrified cases were connected to these semi-high-speed trains.
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