Howrah-Puri Vande Bharat Express hit by lightning strike, technician called midway

Howrah-Puri Vande Bharat Express train damaged.
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The newly launched Vande Bharat Express from Howrah to Puri was damaged by a lightning and hail storm en route to Odisha. Lightning badly damaged the windshield and delayed the train for about two hours. This train travels from Odisha to West Bengal everyday except on Thursday. The incident has alerted people and they are now worried about the safety of passengers at a time of bad weather conditions.

This happened on 21 May when the train had left from West Bengal and was on its way to Odisha Station. Because of this accident, the train had to stop in the mid journey for about two hours. However, none of the passengers were injured in the event as the lightning strike hit the window and cracked few of them. The total travel time of the Vande Bharat Express train from Howrah to Puri is 6 hours and 30 minutes. That’s 1 hour less than what the already existing Shatabdi Express takes, it takes 7 hours and 35 minutes.

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Technicians were called to inspect

When the information about the incident reached to railway authorities, the train was stopped and all passengers were evacuated. Even the crew members were evacuated from the train. Meanwhile, technicians were called to inspect the windscreen and made repairs. Vande Bharat Express from Howrah to Puri started on 19 May 2023 and was launched by PM Modi. The train stops at several stations between Howrah and Puri which includes Kharagpur, Balasore, Cuttack, Bhubaneswar, Khurda and Bhadrak. People who have traveled in the train which is two days new said they love it.

Timing and ticket price

The train’s daily schedule starts at 6:10 from Howrah and it arrives at Puri at around 12:35 pm. While returning, it leaves Puri at 1:50 PM and comes to Howrah again by 8:30 PM. Train travel tickets has two options, passengers can buy Rs 1590 and Rs 2815 ticket. The Rs 1590 is for normal service and Rs 2815 for the Chair Car. Depending on the requirements, passengers can select seats. The ticket prices already includes the price of catering services.

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