New Vande Bharat service chugs off from Punjab’s Ferozepur; boost to regional connectivity, says MoS Ravneet Bittu

In Ferozepur, the ceremony was attended by Minister of State for Railways Ravneet Singh Bittu, BJP national executive member Rana Gurmit Singh Sodhi, Punjab BJP working president Ashwani Kumar Sharma, and other BJP leaders. Expressing gratitude to PM Modi and Vaishnaw, Bittu said the long-pending demand of residents of Ferozepur and surrounding areas was finally met, benefiting travellers and boosting regional trade and connectivity.

Congress MP Sher Singh Ghubaya, who represents the Ferozepur Lok Sabha constituency, former Ferozepur City Congress MLA Parminder Singh Pinky, and several others were also present at the Ferozepur Cantonment railway station. They also travelled on the train. Bittu, Sodhi and a few other leaders are also travelling to Delhi on the train on Saturday.

The inaugural run saw several politicians on board on Saturday morning. In Patiala, Congress MP Dharamvira Gandhi will join the event, as announced earlier.

The new service was formally announced in September by Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw and MoS Bittu.

Train schedule

The Vande Bharat train will depart from Ferozepur at 7.55 am and halt at Faridkot, Bathinda, Dhuri, Patiala, Ambala, Kurukshetra and Panipat before reaching Old Delhi railway station at 2.35 pm. On the return journey, it will leave Delhi at 4 pm and arrive in Ferozepur at 10.35 pm. The train will run on all days except Wednesday.

Sodhi said the railways had already expanded its services in Ferozepur, citing the Ferozepur-Rameswaram train launched in 2023, and the services to Nanded Sahib and Haridwar from Ferozepur launched this year, along with the resumption of the Ferozepur–Chandigarh train in June.

Bittu also announced that Train No. 22485 Delhi–Moga Express has now been extended to Ferozepur Cantt. The train will travel via Jakhal and Ludhiana, reach Moga at 2.57 pm, depart at 2.59 pm and arrive at Ferozepur Cantt at 3 pm. On its return, it will leave Ferozepur Cantt at 3.35 pm and reach Delhi at 11.35 pm. The formal timetable for its extended route is yet to be finalised.

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