Guwahati : Chief Minister Dr. Himanta Biswa Sarma on Monday attended the flagging
off of Northeast India’s first Vande Bharat Express train by Prime Minister Narendra Modi
through the video-conferencing mode at a ceremony held at Guwahati Railway Station.
Connecting Guwahati with New Jalpaiguri in West Bengal, the Vande Bharat Express, a semi
high-speed train built with indigenously developed technology, would cover the distance of
approximate 411 kilometres within a span of 5 hours and 30 minutes. The state-of-the-art
train is fitted with the modern train collision avoidance system (TCAS), also known as
Kavach, and comes with numerous amenities such as bio-vacuum toilets, 360-degree
revolving chairs, divyang-friendly washrooms and seat handles, among others, and is
designed to provide an experience similar to that of air-travel to the passengers. This apart,
the Prime Minister today also dedicated to the nation the newly-electrified 199-kilometers
stretch of railway tracks connecting New Bongaigaon – Dudhnoi – Mendipathar and the 238-
kilometers stretch between Guwahati and Chaparmukh. Also, the Prime Minister inaugurated
the newly constructed DEMU (Diesel Electric Multiple Unit)/MEMU (Mainline Electric
Multiple Unit) Shed at Lumding in Hojai district.
