NEW DELHI: Railways will start operating Vande Bharat trains on five more routes from June 26, the first launch after the three-train accident in Odisha on June 2 that claimed 288 lives. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to launch the semi-high-speed trains via video conferencing.

The routes on which the five trains will run are - Mumbai-Goa, Bangalore-Hubli, Patna-Ranchi, Bhopal-Indore and Bhopal-Jabalpur. The railway ministry had cancelled the launch of the Mumbai-Goa Vande Bharat train after the Odisha tragedy.

This is the first time that five Vande Bharat trains will start operations on the same day. While such launches in the past have seen a lot of fanfare, it will be a relatively austere event this time in view of the Odisha accident.