Howrah–Rourkela Vande Bharat Express

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Howrah Junction – Rourkela Junction
Vande Bharat Express
Overview
Service typeVande Bharat Express
LocaleWest Bengal, Jharkhand and Odisha
First service15 September 2024 (2024-09-15) (Inaugural)
18 September 2024; 11 months ago (18 September 2024) (Commercial)
Current operator(s)South Eastern Railways (SER)
Route
TerminiHowrah Junction (HWH)
Rourkela Junction (ROU)
Stops03
Distance travelled412 km (256 mi)
Average journey time05 hrs 50 mins
Service frequencySix days a week [a]
Train number(s)20871 / 20872
Line(s) usedHowrah–Nagpur–Mumbai line (till Rourkela Junction)
On-board services
Class(es)AC Chair Car, AC Executive Chair Car
Seating arrangements
  • Airline style
  • Rotatable seats
Sleeping arrangementsNo
Catering facilitiesOn board Catering
Observation facilitiesLarge windows in all coaches
Entertainment facilities
Baggage facilitiesOverhead racks
Other facilitiesKavach
Technical
Rolling stockMini Vande Bharat 2.0
Track gaugeIndian gauge
1,676 mm (5 ft 6 in) broad gauge
Electrification25 kV 50 Hz AC Overhead line
Operating speed71 km/h (44 mph) (Avg.)
Average length192 metres (630 ft) (08 coaches)
Track owner(s)Indian Railways
Rake maintenanceSantragachi Jn (SRC)

The 20871/20872 Howrah - Rourkela Vande Bharat Express is India's 58th Vande Bharat Express train, connecting the metropolitan and twin city of Kolkata, Howrah in West Bengal with the smart city of Rourkela in Odisha.

This express train was inaugurated on September 15, 2024, by Prime Minister Narendra Modi via video conferencing from the capital city of Ranchi instead of physically inaugurating at Tatanagar Junction in Jharkhand due to continuous rains in Jamshedpur.[1][2][3][4][5][6][7]

Overview

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This train is currently operated by Indian Railways, connecting Howrah Jn, Kharagpur Jn, Tatanagar Jn, Chakradharpur and Rourkela Jn. It currently operates with train numbers 20871/20872 on 6 days a week basis.[8]

Rakes

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It is the fifty-fifth 2nd Generation and thirty-ninth Mini Vande Bharat 2.0 Express train which was designed and manufactured by the Integral Coach Factory at Perambur, Chennai under the Make in India Initiative.[9]

Service

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The 20871/20872 Howrah Jn - Rourkela Jn Vande Bharat Express operates six days a week except Tuesdays, covering a distance of 412 km (256 mi) in a travel time of 5 hours with an average speed of 71 km/h (44 mph). The service has 3 intermediate stops. The Maximum Permissible Speed is 130 km/h (81 mph).

Howrah - Rourkela Vande Bharat Express (20871) [10]
Station Station Code Arrival Departure Halt (min) Distance (km) Day
Howrah Jn HWH — 06:00 — — 1
Kharagpur Jn KGP 07:28 07:30 2 115.0 1
Tatanagar Jn TATA 09:10 09:15 5 248.8 1
Chakradharpur CKP 09:58 10:00 2 310.9 1
Rourkela Jn ROU 11:50 — — 412.0 1


Rourkela - Howrah Vande Bharat Express (20872) [11]
Station Station Code Arrival Departure Halt (min) Distance (km) Day
Rourkela Jn ROU — 13:35 — — 1
Chakradharpur CKP 14:51 14:53 2 101.0 1
Tatanagar Jn TATA 15:45 15:50 5 163.2 1
Kharagpur Jn KGP 17:48 17:50 2 297.0 1
Howrah Jn HWH 19:50 — — 412.0 1

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ Except Tuesdays

References

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  1. ^ Athrady, Ajith. "PM Modi flags off six Vande Bharat Express trains in poll-bound Jharkhand". Deccan Herald. Retrieved 15 September 2024.
  2. ^ "PM's Jamshedpur Visit Canceled Due to Rain, Will Inaugurate Online from Ranchi". Live Hindustan (in Hindi). 15 September 2024. Retrieved 15 September 2024.
  3. ^ "PM Modi flags off six Vande Bharat trains at Jharkhand's Tatanagar". The Economic Times. 15 September 2024. ISSN 0013-0389. Retrieved 15 September 2024.
  4. ^ DHNS. "PM Modi to flag off six Vande Bharat Express trains in poll-bound Jharkhand". Deccan Herald. Retrieved 15 September 2024.
  5. ^ "PM Modi to flag off six new Vande Bharat Express trains during Jharkhand visit today – Full list of routes here". Financialexpress. 15 September 2024. Retrieved 15 September 2024.
  6. ^ "PM Modi to inaugurate 11 Vande Bharat Express Trains from Tatanagar". The Avenue Mail. 11 September 2024. Retrieved 13 September 2024.
  7. ^ "राउरकेला-हावड़ा वंदे भारत ट्रेन का होगा ट्रायल". Live Hindustan (in Hindi). 12 September 2024. Retrieved 13 September 2024.
  8. ^ Aniket. "20871/Howrah - Rourkela Vande Bharat Express - Howrah to Rourkela SER/South Eastern Zone - Railway Enquiry". indiarailinfo.com. Retrieved 13 September 2024.
  9. ^ "Train 18, India's Fastest, Named "Vande Bharat Express": Piyush Goyal". NDTV.com. Retrieved 19 April 2023.
  10. ^ "(20871) Howrah - Rourkela Vande Bharat Express Live Running Status". RailRadar. Retrieved 31 August 2025.
  11. ^ "(20872) Rourkela - Howrah Vande Bharat Express Live Running Status". RailRadar. Retrieved 31 August 2025.