The joy and excitement of class 8 student Priyadarshi Kashyap knew no bounds after boarding Ranchi-Patna Vande Bharat Express on its inaugural run on Tuesday.
Priyadarshi is among 180 students from various schools of Jharkhand selected for the inaugural run based on their performance in different competitions.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagged off the Vande Bharat Express, which will connect Ranchi to Patna, through video conferencing from Bhopal.
This is the first Vande Bharat Express for both Bihar and Jharkhand.
"I am very excited travelling in India's modern and hi-tech train. It gives me a feeling as if we are celebrities. People are showering petals and capturing photos of the train while we are inside," Priyadarshi, a pupil of Saraswati Sishu Vidya Mandir said.
She got the opportunity to board the semi-high-speed blue-and-white train, which covers a distance of 379 km in six hours, based on her performance in a drawing competition.
At present the fastest train on the route is the Janshatabdi Express, which takes 7.45 hours to cover the same distance, officials said.
Kashyap had drawn a painting on the subject ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’.
A total of 180 students from different schools boarded the train from Ranchi station.
They were selected through various competitions, including essay writing, and painting, on the topics of Vande Bharat Express, Atmanirbhar Bharat, and Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, an official said.
Almost all of them said they felt very special during the journey.
Shreyanshi Ananya, a class-9 student of DAV, Bariatu, said, "The scenic beauty on the stretch from Mesra to Barkakana is awesome. The tunnels add more thrill to the journey. I had not seen such fascinating views during my previous train journeys.”
School students, dignitaries, and others were seen taking selfies and capturing various moments with their cameras.
People were seen dancing to the tune of ‘dhol’ (cylindrical wooden drums) and ‘nagara’ (percussion instrument) after the train arrived at Barkakana station around 12.30 pm.
Arnav Kumar, a student of Class 10 of Central School Ranchi, "Travelling in Vande Bharat Express was a dream come true for me."
Retired professor Awadh Tiwary told PTI that it is a unique experience, which cannot be expressed in words.
"For retired people like me, all comforts were kept in mind while designing the train," he said.
Another commuter Abha Pathak said, "It is a proud moment for Jharkhand that a world-class train has been introduced on the route. I feel so lucky to board its inaugural run."
At every station, people were seen taking selfies with the train.
Many people were also seen showering petals on the train as it passed by.
Jharkhand Governor C P Radhakrishnan, BJP state president Deepak Prakash, Hazaribagh MP Jayant Sinha, JMM's Mahua Maji, who travelled in the train for a short distance, praised the beauty and comfort of the train.
The semi-high-speed train will start its regular run from June 28 and will depart Patna Junction at 7 am and reach Ranchi at 1 pm.
On the return journey, it will start at 4.15 pm from Ranchi and reach Patna Junction at 10.05 pm.
The Vande Bharat Express will run all days of the week except Tuesdays.