Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw and Bihar Deputy CM Samrat Choudhary flagged off seven new trains, including three Amrit Bharat Express services, boosting Bihar’s connectivity, economic growth, and passenger convenience.
Amrit Bharat train (photo:ANI)
With an aim to provide a new dimension to connectivity in Bihar and offer passengers enhanced travel services, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, along with Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary, on Monday flagged off a total of seven new trains in the poll-bound state, including three Amrit Bharat Express trains.
Vaishnaw flagged off the new services virtually from New Delhi, while Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary symbolically inaugurated them at Patna Junction.
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The three new Amrit Bharat Express Trains are: Darbhanga – Ajmer (Madar) Amrit Bharat Express, Muzaffarpur – Hyderabad (Charlapalli) Amrit Bharat Express and Chapra – Delhi (Anand Vihar Terminal) Amrit Bharat Express.
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With the inauguration of these new trains, Bihar now has a total of 26 Amrit Bharat Express services operational out of the 30, running across the country.
The Muzaffarpur–Charlapalli Amrit Bharat Express is the first Amrit Bharat train from Muzaffarpur to South India, while the Chhapra–Anand Vihar Amrit Bharat Express became the sixth Amrit Bharat train from Bihar to Delhi.
This state-of-the-art indigenous train will provide passengers with a fast, safe, and comfortable travel experience. These trains will strengthen Bihar’s connectivity with different parts of the country, particularly North and South India.
Their operations will boost economic activities in the state and create new opportunities in tourism, trade, and employment.
During the occasion, speaking via video conference, Vaishnaw said the pace of development in Bihar is such that the state is set to emerge as a golden state in the near future. These trains will provide a new level of connectivity in Bihar, enhancing convenience for passengers and accelerating the state’s overall development.
He added that since Prime Minister Narendra Modi assumed office in 2014, he has prioritised the Railways, with a special focus on the states.
He noted that earlier, the annual railway budget for Bihar was only around Rs 1,000 crore before 2014, whereas today it stands at about Rs 10,000 crore.
He said PM Modi has presented a significant vision for Bihar’s development, with projects worth around Rs 1 lakh crore underway in Bihar.
He also said the state’s railway network has been fully electrified, and 1,899 km of new track has been laid.
Developed by Indian Railways, the Amrit Bharat Express has become a symbol of modernization in the country’s railway system.
The train is not just a fast and affordable travel option, but it also comes equipped with advanced features such as semi-automatic couplers, fire detection systems, sealed gangways, and talk-back units. For the first time, such an advanced technology has been introduced in non-AC coaches, enhancing passenger safety.
This marks an important step towards realizing the vision of “Viksit Bihar Se Viksit Bharat” (Developed India through a Developed Bihar).
Keeping in mind the needs of the common public in rail services, Vaishnaw and Choudhary also flagged off four passenger trains in the state.
These Passenger Trains are: Patna – Buxar Passenger, Jhajha – Danapur Passenger, Nawada – Patna Passenger and Patna – Islampur Passenger.
Highlighting some key railway projects completed in the state, the Union Minister said the 28 km Patna Rail-cum-Road Bridge, 15 km Munger Rail-cum-Road Bridge, and the long-awaited Kosi Bridge have all been completed.
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