Prime Minister Narendra Modi will flag off the Vande Bharat Express train connecting Secunderabad with Visakhapatnam on January 15 via video conferencing.

This will be the eighth Vande Bharat Express to be introduced by Indian Railways and will be the first one connecting the two Telugu-speaking states of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, covering a distance of around 700 km. It will have stoppages at Visakhapatnam, Rajahmundry, and Vijayawada stations in Andhra Pradesh and at Khammam, Warangal and Secunderabad stations in Telangana.

The indigenously designed train set of Vande Bharat Express is equipped with state-of-the-art passenger amenities and will provide faster, comfortable and convenient travel experience to the rail users.

The launching of the prestigious train in Telangana holds significance as the state goes to polls later this year and the BJP is keen to establish itself as a political option to the ruling Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS), which has been in power there since the state's inception in 2014.