Modi flags off Vande Bharat Exp from Una Station
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday flagged off the country's fourth Vande Bharat Express train from Una railway station in Himachal Pradesh.
The train will run between Amb Andaura in Himachal Pradesh and New Delhi.
The new Vande Bharat train is an advanced version compared to the earlier ones, being much lighter and capable of reaching higher speed in shorter duration, officials said.
The train will run six days a week except on Wednesdays, with stops at Ambala, Chandigarh, Anandpur Sahib, and Una. It accelerates to 100 km per hour in just 52 seconds. The introduction of the train will help boost tourism in the region and provide a comfortable and faster mode of travel.
Earlier, the prime minister was welcomed by Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur on his arrival at Pekhubela Helipad in Una.
Modi also laid the foundation stone of a Bulk Drug Park in Una and dedicated to the nation the Indian Institute of Information Technology-Una.
Modi laid the foundation stone of the Bulk Drug Park at Haroli which will be built at a cost of more than Rs 1,900 crore.
The park will help reduce dependence on API imports. It is expected to attract investments of around Rs 10,000 crores and provide employment to more than 20,000 people.
The foundation stone of the Indian Institute of Information Technology (IIIT)-Una was laid by Modi in 2017.
Modi launched the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY)-III in Himachal Pradesh for upgrading 3,125 km of rural roads.
He also laid the foundation stones for two hydropower projects the 48 MW Chanju-III hydroelectric project and the 30 MW Deothal Chanju hydroelectric project.
More than Rs 420 crore has been sanctioned by the central government under this phase of the PMGSY-III for upgrading 440 km of rural roads in 15 border and far-flung blocks of the state.
The two hydropower projects will generate over 270 million units of electricity annually and Himachal Pradesh is expected to earn annual revenue of around Rs 110 crore from these.