PM Modi flags off four new Vande Bharat trains from Varanasi

PM Modi flags off four new Vande Bharat Express trains from Banaras Railway Station in Varanasi, marking another boost to India’s expanding semi-high-speed rail network (Source: Photo by ANI)

He waves to the gathered crowd as the inauguration ceremony begins (Source: Photo by ANI)

The four new Vande Bharat train routes launched today are: Banaras–Khajuraho, Lucknow–Saharanpur, Firozpur–Delhi and Ernakulam–Bengaluru (Source: Photo by ANI)

During his speech, the Prime Minister described the Vande Bharat trains as a “symbol of transformation” for Indian Railways and the nation. (Source: Photo by ANI)

A highlight of today’s event was PM Modi interacted with a group of school children aboard one of the trains, congratulating them and saying “my Kashi has such talented children” (Source: Photo by ANI)

The interaction with the children included a discussion of competitions, poems and development-themed activities — part of the Prime Minister’s emphasis on engaging young talent in India’s progress story (Source: Photo by ANI)

On the Banaras–Khajuraho route, the new service is expected to save about 2 hours 40 minutes compared to the earlier special train on that route (Source: Photo by ANI)

The launch of these trains is part of the government’s push for faster, more comfortable travel, and the expansion of connectivity for tourism, trade and regional development (Source: Photo by ANI)

The event signals a significant boost for Uttar Pradesh and neighbouring states, with one of the new trains connecting to Khajuraho — a UNESCO heritage site and tourism-magnet (Source: Photo by ANI)