Howrah–Gaya Vande Bharat Express

The 22303/22304 Howrah - Gaya Vande Bharat Express is India's 59th Vande Bharat Express train, connecting the metropolitan and twin city of Kolkata, Howrah in West Bengal with the religious city of Gaya in Bihar.^[1]

Howrah Junction – Gaya Junction Vande Bharat Express
Overview
Service type	Vande Bharat Express
Locale	West Bengal, Jharkhand and Bihar
First service	15 September 2024 (2024-09-15) (Inaugural) 18 September 2024; 10 months ago (18 September 2024) (Commercial)
Current operator(s)	Eastern Railways (ER)
Route
Termini	Howrah Junction (HWH) Gaya Junction (GAYA)
Stops	05
Distance travelled	459 km (285 mi)
Average journey time	05 hrs 40 mins
Service frequency	Six days a week [a]
Train number(s)	22303 / 22304
Line(s) used	Howrah–Gaya–Delhi line (till Gaya Junction)
On-board services
Class(es)	AC Chair Car, AC Executive Chair Car
Seating arrangements	Airline style Rotatable seats
Sleeping arrangements	No
Catering facilities	On board Catering
Observation facilities	Large windows in all coaches
Entertainment facilities	On-board WiFi Infotainment System Electric outlets Reading light Seat Pockets Bottle Holder Tray Table
Baggage facilities	Overhead racks
Other facilities	Kavach
Technical
Rolling stock	Vande Bharat 2.0
Track gauge	Indian gauge 1,676 mm (5 ft 6 in) broad gauge
Electrification	25 kV 50 Hz AC Overhead line
Operating speed	81 km/h (50 mph) (Avg.)
Average length	384 metres (1,260 ft) (16 coaches)
Track owner(s)	Indian Railways
Rake maintenance	Howrah Jn (HWH)
Route map Legend 22303 ↓ Howrah Junction Durgapur Asansol Junction West Bengal Jharkhand border Dhanbad Junction Parasnath Koderma Junction Jharkhand Bihar border 22304 ↑ Gaya Junction

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.^{[2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9]}

Overview

This train is currently operated by Indian Railways, connecting Howrah Jn, Durgapur, Asansol Jn, Dhanbad Jn, Parasnath, Koderma Jn and Gaya Jn.^[10] It is currently operated with train numbers 22303/22304 on 6 days a week basis.

Rakes

It is the fifty-sixth 2nd Generation Vande Bharat Express train which was designed and manufactured by the Integral Coach Factory at Perambur, Chennai under the Make in India Initiative.^[11]

Service

The 22303/22304 Howrah - Gaya Vande Bharat Express currently operates 6 days a week, covering a distance of 458 km (285 mi) in a travel time of 05 hrs 40 mins with average speed of 81 km/h. The Maximum Permissible Speed (MPS) is 130 km/h.

1. Except Thursdays

See also

• Vande Bharat Express
• Tejas Express
• Gatiman Express
• Howrah Junction railway station
• Gaya Junction railway station