Patna-Ranchi Vande Bharat Express trial run begins

Patna: The trial run of the Patna-Ranchi Vande Bharat Express started from here on Monday, a senior official said.

The train left Bihar capital Patna at 6.55am and is scheduled to reach Jharkhand capital Ranchi at 1 pm. On its return journey, it will leave Ranchi at 2.20pm and arrive here at 8.25 pm, said Birendra Kumar, the Chief Public Relations Officer (CPRO) of East Central Railway (ECR) zone, Hajipur.

The train will pass through tunnels and railway bridges between Sidhwar (Ramgarh) and Sanki (Ranchi). It will halt at Gaya and Barkakana stations. The 27-km stretch between Sidhwar and Sanki has four tunnels, the longest being 1.7-km-long, while three others are around 600 metres each.

Earlier, the trial run was slated for June 11, but it was rescheduled to Monday because of the two-day state bandh called by a student group in Jharkhand. More trial runs will be conducted between Barkakana and Ranchi.

The commissioner of railway safety (CRS) in Kolkata had conducted a safety inspection and speed trial on the 27-km stretch between Sidhwar and Sanki and had given the nod to operationalise the new route between Koderma and Ranchi via Barkakana in December last.