Howrah–Puri Vande Bharat Express

The 22895/22896 Howrah - Puri Vande Bharat Express is India's 16th Vande Bharat Express train, connecting the Capital of West Bengal with the Land of Sri Jagannath in Odisha via Kharagpur, Balasore, Cuttack & Bhubaneswar.^[1][2][3][4] It is the West Bengal's second and Odisha's first semi-high speed Vande Bharat express train. It was inaugurated on 18 May 2023.^[5]

Howrah - Puri Vande Bharat Express
Overview
Service type	Vande Bharat Express
Locale	West Bengal and Odisha
First service	18 May 2023 (2023-05-18) (Inaugural run) 20 May 2023; 2 years ago (20 May 2023) (Commercial run)
Current operator(s)	South Eastern Railways (SER)
Route
Termini	Howrah Junction (HWH) Puri (PURI)
Stops	7
Distance travelled	500 km (311 mi)
Average journey time	06 hrs 20 mins
Service frequency	Six days a week [a]
Train number(s)	22895 / 22896
Line(s) used	Howrah–Kharagpur line Kharagpur–Puri line
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 (Last service: May 14 2025) Vande Bharat 3.0 (First service: May 16 2025)
Track gauge	Indian gauge 1,676 mm (5 ft 6 in) broad gauge
Electrification	25 kV 50 Hz AC Overhead line
Operating speed	78 km/h (48 mph) (Avg.)
Average length	480 metres (1,570 ft) (20 coaches)
Track owner(s)	Indian Railways
Rake maintenance	Santragachi Jn (SRC)
Route map Legend 22895 ↓ Howrah Jn Kharagpur Junction West Bengal Odisha border Balasore Bhadrak Jajpur Keonjhar Road Cuttack Junction Bhubaneswar Khurda Road Junction 22896 ↑ Puri

Overview

This train is operated by Indian Railways, connecting Howrah Jn, Kharagpur Jn, Balasore, Bhadrak, Jajpur Keonjhar Road, Cuttack Jn, Bhubaneswar, Khurda Road Jn and Puri. It is operated with train numbers 22895/22896 on 6 days a week basis.^[6][7]

Rakes

Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurating Howrah-Puri Vande Bharat Express by flagging off on 18 May 2023.

It was the fourteenth 2nd Generation Vande Bharat Express train and was designed and manufactured by the Integral Coach Factory (ICF) at Perambur, Chennai under the Make in India initiative.

Coach Augmentation

As per latest updates, this express train will be augmented with 4 additional AC coaches, thereby running with Vande Bharat 3.0 trainset W.E.F. 16 May 2025 in order to enhance passenger capacity on this popular route.^[8][9][10]

Service

The 22895/22896 Howrah Jn - Puri Vande Bharat Express operates six days a week except Thursdays, covering a distance of 500 km (310 mi) in a travel time of 6 hours with an average speed of 75 km/h (47 mph). The service has 7 intermediate stops. The Maximum Permissible Speed is 130 km/h (81 mph).

Howrah - Puri Vande Bharat Express (22895) ^[11]

Station	Station Code	Arrival	Departure	Halt (min)	Distance (km)	Day
Howrah Jn	HWH	—	06:10	—	—	1
Kharagpur Jn	KGP	07:38	07:40	2	115.0	1
Baleshwar	BLS	08:54	08:56	2	231.1	1
Bhadrak	BHC	09:30	09:32	2	293.5	1
Jajpur Keonjhar Road	JJKR	09:50	09:52	2	337.1	1
Cuttack Jn	CTC	10:50	10:52	2	409.2	1
Bhubaneswar	BBS	11:28	11:32	4	436.9	1
Khurda Road Jn	KUR	11:50	11:52	2	456.1	1
Puri	PURI	12:50	—	—	499.9	1

Puri - Howrah Vande Bharat Express (22896) ^[12]

Station	Station Code	Arrival	Departure	Halt (min)	Distance (km)	Day
Puri	PURI	—	13:50	—	—	1
Khurda Road Jn	KUR	14:23	14:25	2	43.8	1
Bhubaneswar	BBS	14:45	14:49	4	62.9	1
Cuttack Jn	CTC	15:15	15:17	2	90.6	1
Jajpur Keonjhar Road	JJKR	16:03	16:05	2	162.8	1
Bhadrak	BHC	16:34	16:35	1	206.4	1
Baleshwar	BLS	17:08	17:10	2	268.8	1
Kharagpur Jn	KGP	18:40	18:42	2	384.9	1
Howrah Jn	HWH	20:30	—	—	499.9	1

Incidents

On 21 May 2023, suddenly a tree branch fell on the windshield of the driver cab of the train, near Jajpur Keonjhar Road, on the bridge near Baitarani river in Odisha during a thunderstorm. The train was immediately stopped, and the train was then taken to Howrah with a diesel engine (WDP-4D). After the accident the nose of the train was severely damaged which was removed at the spot. This caused its delay of 5 hours and 38 minutes, and its journey was cancelled on 22 May 2023. For repairing purposes, it was taken to Santragachi Junction in turn of taken to Howrah Junction^[13]

See also

• Vande Bharat Express
• Tejas Express
• Gatimaan Express
• Howrah railway station
• Puri railway station

Notes

1. Except Thursdays