 "Surekha Yadav, first woman loco pilot of Vande Bharat Express train")
The Gorakhpur-Lucknow Vande Bharat Express, to be flagged off by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday, will run six days a week, barring Saturdays, with a little over 550 passengers, officials have said.
On Friday, the semi-high speed train will begin its journey from Gorakhpur following the inauguration and reach Lucknow Junction via halts at Sahjanwa, Khalilabad, Basti, Babhnan, Mankapur, Ayodhya and Barabanki, they said.
Modi will flag off the train from Gorakhpur around 3.40 pm, the officials added.
The Indian Railways has already started accepting bookings for the train, to be run by North Eastern Railway. The train will include seven chair cars and one executive-class coach and will accommodate 556 people.
The base fare for the chair car is Rs 724 while a seat on the executive class will cost Rs 1,470 per passenger for the journey from Gorakhpur to Lucknow. The passengers will be provided with meals, snacks and tea by the IRCTC.
From July 9, when the train begins regular services, it will only halt at Basti and Ayodhya. Passengers can book tickets from counters at these stations as well. The train will also stop at the Mankapur level crossing for an operational halt.
On Saturdays, the train will be repaired at a new facility in Gorakhpur.
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