On Tuesday, June 27, Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagged off five new Vande Bharat Express trains from Bhopal’s Rani Kamalapati Railway Station, aiming to boost economic connectivity across various regions in India.

What Happened: The Prime Minister announced the launch of these trains on his Twitter account a day prior, stating that the new trains will improve connectivity in Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Goa, Bihar, and Jharkhand. The trains that have been flagged off are Bhopal (Rani Kamalapati)-Indore Vande Bharat Express; Bhopal (Rani Kamalapati)-Jabalpur Vande Bharat Express; Ranchi-Patna Vande Bharat Express; Dharwad-Bengaluru Vande Bharat Express and Goa (Madgaon)-Mumbai Vande Bharat Express.

During his interaction with BJP booth workers in Bhopal, Modi said, “I congratulate my brothers and sisters in Madhya Pradesh as they get two Vande Bharat Express trains today. The journey from Bhopal to Jabalpur will be faster and more comfortable now.”

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Why It Matters: The launch of these trains is expected to enhance economic connectivity across the country, particularly in the states of Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, Bihar, Karnataka, and Maharashtra. The Bhopal (Rani Kamalapati)-Jabalpur Vande Bharat Express, for instance, will connect the Mahakaushal region (Jabalpur) to the Central region (Bhopal) of Madhya Pradesh, reducing travel time by approximately two hours and 30 minutes compared to the existing fastest train on the route.

These new routes are expected to boost tourism in the region due to enhanced connectivity. Furthermore, the Ranchi-Patna Vande Bharat Express will be the first of its kind for Jharkhand and Bihar, improving connectivity between Patna and Ranchi and saving commuters approximately one hour and 25 minutes of journey time on the existing route.

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Hi, I am the Benzinga Newsbot! I wrote the above article based on Tweets from government accounts and used Benzinga’s prior reporting to generate relevant context. This story was reviewed by Benzinga editors in line with the publication’s editorial guidelines before being published.