Prime Minister Narendra Modi will flag off West Bengal`s first Vande Bharat Express on the busy Howrah-New Jalpaiguri route on December 30, a senior Eastern Railway official said. The superfast train with modern passenger amenities will take around 7.5 hours on its run in both directions, Eastern Railway spokesperson Ekalabya Chakraborty said.

"Prime Minister Narendra Modi will flag off the Vande Bharat Express service from Howrah to New Jalpaiguri on December 30," he told PTI. It will run six days in a week, he said.