Ferozepur, Nov. 9 -- Punjab's Malwa region got its first Vande Bharat Express on Saturday with Prime Minister Narendra Modi virtually launching the fastest train on the Ferozepur-New Delhi route that completes its journey in six hours and 40 minutes. Union minister of state for railways Ravneet Singh Bittu said the new train, 26461/26462, departs from Ferozepur at 7.35am and reaches New Delhi at 2.35pm. The return journey will start from New Delhi at 4pm and end at Ferozepur at 10.35pm. The train, which will ply daily on the route barring Wednesday, will halt at Faridkot, Bathinda, Dhuri, Patiala, Ambala Cantt, Panipat and New Delhi in both directions. Besides enhancing connectivity between Delhi and major cities of Punjab, the new service will boost trade, tourism, employment and contribute to the socio-economic development of the border areas. In another key decision, the railways extended the route of the New Delhi-Moga Intercity Express (train number 22485/22486) up to Ferozepur from Saturday. "This is the first Vande Bharat train to serve Malwa, which has 69 of the 117 assembly constituencies of Punjab. Ferozepur is a border district. It was crucial to connect Malwa to Delhi. This Vande Bharat train operates at 160 km/h, which will boost tourism and trade and ease people-to-people interaction. The train is equipped with the KAVACH safety system, the most advanced safety feature, eliminating the risk of accidents, along with many other modern technologies," Bittu said at the inaugural ceremony at Ferozepur Cantonment railway station. He travelled on the train from Ferozepur to Ambala Cantt. Divisional railway manager Sanjeev Kumar, BJP national executive member Rana Gurmit Singh Sodhi, Punjab BJP working president Ashwani Sharma, Ferozepur MP Sher Singh Ghubaya, former Congress MLA Parminder Singh Pinki and state BJP general secretary Rakesh Rathore were prominent among those present on the occasion. Expressing gratitude to Prime Minister Modi and Union railway minister Ashwini Vaishnaw for introducing the train in the region, Sodhi termed it a historic milestone and a turning point in Ferozepur's development journey. "This historic step will put Ferozepur on a new track of progress and benefit the entire Malwa region. It will accelerate growth in trade, education, industry, and tourism. The long-pending demand of local residents for a direct train to Delhi has finally been fulfilled," he said. Local entrepreneur Harsh Arora said: "Previous governments ignored Ferozepur, but the Modi government has proved development is its priority. With the new Vande Bharat, passengers will enjoy a faster, safer, and more comfortable travel experience." Prime Minister Modi inaugurated four new Vande Bharat Express trains from Varanasi. They will operate on the Varanasi-Khajuraho, Lucknow-Saharanpur, Ferozepur-Delhi, and Ernakulam-Bengaluru routes. Haryana energy minister Anil Vij along with Rajya Sabha MP Kartikeya Sharma and Ambala mayor Shailja Sachdeva welcomed the Vande Bharat Express train running from Ferozepur to Delhi at Ambala Cantonment railway station. Divisional railway manager (DRM), Ambala Division, Vinod Bhatia and other railway officials were also present. Vij said that India's development has been set in motion with Narendra Modi becoming Prime Minister, and the nation is wholeheartedly blessing him for the last 11 years. The train also halted at Kurukshetra, first Vande Bharat to have a stoppage at the town, which is also considered the religious capital of Haryana. It was welcomed by former minister Subhash Sudha. BJP MP from Kurukshetra Naveen Jindal, in a statement said, "The Delhi-Ferozepur Vande Bharat Express halt at Kurukshetra is a proud moment for our region which will improve Haryana's connectivity. In recent months, Kurukshetra has seen major additions like the Andoura-Raipur MEMU, Chandigarh-Udaipur Express, Satroad-Delhi Passenger, and the Raipur Haryana-Amb Andoura train." Haryana education minister Mahipal Dhanda attended the inaugural event at Panipat, the last stoppage of the train before terminating at Delhi railway station. The train will cover a distance of nearly 90-km in 90 minutes, officials said....