PM flags off India's first Vande Bharat Sleeper train from Malda; ₹3,250 crore projects launched
PM Narendra Modi flagged off India's first Vande Bharat Sleeper train, between Howrah and Guwahati (Kamakhya), at Malda Town station and launched rail and road projects worth ₹3,250 crore in West Bengal on 17 January 2026.
Summary
India's first Vande Bharat Sleeper train, running between Howrah and Guwahati (Kamakhya), was flagged off by PM Narendra Modi at Malda Town Railway Station, West Bengal; he also virtually flagged off the return Guwahati (Kamakhya)–Howrah service. Modi called it a train connecting the land of Mother Kali to the land of Mother Kamakhya and said more than 150 Vande Bharat trains now run across the country. At Malda he inaugurated and laid foundation stones of rail and road projects worth ₹3,250 crore and flagged off four Amrit Bharat Express trains: New Jalpaiguri–Nagercoil, New Jalpaiguri–Tiruchchirappalli, Alipurduar–Bengaluru and Alipurduar–Mumbai.
Key facts
- First Vande Bharat Sleeper
- Howrah–Guwahati (Kamakhya), flagged off at Malda Town station, 17 January 2026
- Train type
- Fully air-conditioned sleeper
- Projects at Malda
- Rail and road projects worth ₹3,250 crore
- Amrit Bharat trains
- NJP–Nagercoil, NJP–Tiruchchirappalli, Alipurduar–Bengaluru, Alipurduar–Mumbai
- Vande Bharat network
- More than 150 trains running
Practice MCQs 4 questions
India's first Vande Bharat Sleeper train, flagged off on 17 January 2026, runs between which two stations?
Show answer
Correct answer: A — Howrah and Guwahati (Kamakhya)
PIB (PMO): the PM flagged off India's first Vande Bharat Sleeper Train between Howrah and Guwahati (Kamakhya) at Malda Town Railway Station.
At which railway station did the PM flag off India's first Vande Bharat Sleeper train?
Show answer
Correct answer: D — Malda Town
PIB (PMO): the PM visited Malda Town Railway Station, where he flagged off the train.
What was the total value of the rail and road projects the PM inaugurated and laid foundation stones for at Malda on 17 January 2026?
Show answer
Correct answer: D — ₹3,250 crore
PIB (PMO): the projects at Malda were worth ₹3,250 crore.
Which of the following was NOT among the four Amrit Bharat Express trains flagged off at Malda on 17 January 2026?
Show answer
Correct answer: D — Alipurduar–Chennai
PIB (PMO): the four trains were New Jalpaiguri–Nagercoil, New Jalpaiguri–Tiruchchirappalli, Alipurduar–Bengaluru and Alipurduar–Mumbai. There was no Alipurduar–Chennai train.