For those travelling to Bihar, obtaining a confirmed train ticket can be a significant challenge, especially during festivals. Ticket availability is a recurring issue on certain routes. Even with current regulations, securing a ticket, even on the waiting list, is often difficult. To address this, the Railways has announced the launch of new trains, aiming to make travel to Bihar easier.
The Ministry of Railways suggests these measures will greatly benefit the public. However, there are potential political dimensions to this initiative. Recently, the Railways has introduced a number of new trains. Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw and Bihar’s Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary inaugurated seven trains from Patna Junction railway station on September 29th, including three Amrit Bharat Express trains. Furthermore, a Namo Bharat and over a dozen Vande Bharat trains are now running in Bihar.
Why the Increased Focus on Bihar?
Earlier this year, the Railway Ministry approved a plan to operate 12,000 trains for Chhath and Diwali. With the upcoming assembly elections in Bihar after Chhath, the timing of these announcements raises questions.
Amrit Bharat Trains in Bihar
While Amrit Bharat trains have recently been launched nationwide, Bihar is seeing the greatest benefit. The Amrit Bharat Express, popular with the middle class, currently has 12 services across the country, with 10 trains originating from Bihar. The addition of three new Amrit Bharat Express trains will increase the total to 15, with 13 operating from Bihar.
New Train Routes
Responding to public demand, Ashwini Vaishnaw flagged off passenger trains for Patna-Buxar, Jhajha-Danapur, Patna-Islamabad, and Sheikhpura-Barbigaha via Nawada. The Patna-Islamabad and Nawada-Patna passenger trains will utilize the new Jat Dumri-Fazilchak-Topsarathua-Daniawan line, improving train access for people in this region.
Additional Amrit Bharat Services
Ashwini Vaishnaw has provided three new Amrit Bharat Express trains for the people of Bihar: one from Muzaffarpur to Chrlapalli near Hyderabad, another from Darbhanga to Madar Junction near Ajmer, and a third from Chhapra to Anand Vihar Terminal. The Muzaffarpur to Chrlapalli Amrit Bharat Express will be the first Amrit Bharat train from Muzaffarpur to South India, and the Chhapra-Anand Vihar Amrit Bharat Express will be the sixth Amrit Bharat train from Bihar to Delhi.
* Train No. 15293/15294 Muzaffarpur-Chrlapalli-Muzaffarpur Amrit Bharat Express (Weekly) – This express will serve stations including Hajipur, Patliputra, Ara, Buxar, DDU, Prayagraj Chheoki, Jabalpur, Itarsi, Nagpur, and Kazipet.
* Train No. 19623/19624 Madar-Darbhanga-Madar Amrit Bharat Express (Weekly) – This express will operate via Kamtaul, Sitamarhi, Raxaul, Narkatiaganj, Gorakhpur, Gomti Nagar, Kanpur, Tundla, and Jaipur.
* Train No. 15133/15134 Chhapra-Anand Vihar-Chhapra Amrit Bharat Express (Twice a Week) – This express will run via Siwan, Thawe, Kaptanganj, Gorakhpur, Basti, Gonda, Aishbagh (Lucknow), and Kanpur.
* Train No. 75271/75272 Nawada-Patna-Nawada DEMU Passenger – This passenger train will run six days a week, excluding Sundays, via Sheikhpura, Barbigaha, Asthawan, Bihar Sharif, Nursaray, Daniawan, Topsarathua, Fazilchak, Jatdumri, and Punpun.
* Train No. 75273/75274 Islampur-Patna-Islampur DEMU Passenger – This passenger train will operate six days a week, excluding Sundays, via Punpun, Jatdumri, Fazilchak, Topsarathua, Daniawan, and Hilsa.
* Train No. 53201/53202 Patna-Buxar-Patna Fast Passenger – This passenger train will operate six days a week, excluding Sundays, via Danapur and Ara.
* Train No. 53203/53204 Jhajha-Danapur-Jhajha Fast Passenger – This passenger train will operate six days a week, excluding Sundays, via Jamui, Kiul, Mokama, Bakhtiyarpur, and Fatuha.
These Other 15 Express Trains
* Darbhanga-Anand Vihar Terminal Amrit Bharat Express
* Saharsa-Lokmanya Tilak Terminus Amrit Bharat Express
* Rajendranagar Terminal-New Delhi Amrit Bharat Express
* Bapudham Motihari-Anand Vihar Terminal Amrit Bharat Express
* Darbhanga-Gomti Nagar Amrit Bharat Express
* Malda Town-Gomti Nagar Amrit Bharat Express
* Sitamarhi-Delhi Amrit Bharat Express
* Gaya-Delhi Amrit Bharat Express
* Jogbani-Erode-Jogbani Amrit Bharat Express
* Saharsa-Chheharta (Amritsar)-Saharsa Amrit Bharat Express
* Malda Town-Sir M. Visvesvaraya Terminal Bengaluru Amrit Bharat Express
* Brahmapur-Udhna (Surat) Amrit Bharat Express
* Muzaffarpur-Chrlapalli Amrit Bharat Express (Starting September 29)
* Chhapra-Delhi (Anand Vihar Terminal) Amrit Bharat Express (Starting September 29)
* Darbhanga-Madar (Ajmer) Amrit Bharat Express (Starting September 29)
