New Delhi: Rail passengers travelling between Pratapgarh, Lucknow, Kanpur and Chitrakoot are set to get a more direct connection, with Indian Railways approving the restructuring of two existing express services into a single through train.
Indian Railways has approved the merger of the 14109/14110 Chitrakutdham Karwi-Kanpur Central Express and the 14123/14124 Maa Belha Devi Dham Pratapgarh-Kanpur Central Express, the Ministry of Railways said on 8 August.
Following the merger, the service will operate as the 14123/14124 Maa Belha Devi Dham Pratapgarh-Chitrakutdham Karwi Express.
The move will provide direct rail connectivity between Pratapgarh and Chitrakoot through Kanpur, reducing the need for passengers travelling along the corridor to change trains at Kanpur Central.
The merged service will also provide direct connectivity between Chitrakoot, Lucknow and Pratapgarh, creating a through rail corridor between the Bundelkhand and Awadh regions.
Along with the merger, Railways will increase the train’s composition from the existing 12 coaches to 24 coaches.
According to the ministry, the increase will double passenger-carrying capacity and help address overcrowding and growing demand, particularly on the Kanpur-Pratapgarh section.
The enhanced capacity will benefit passengers travelling between Kanpur, Banda, Chitrakoot, Pratapgarh and other stations along the route.
The merged service will serve Maa Belha Devi Dham Pratapgarh, Chilbila, Maa Chandrika Devi Dham Antu, Amethi, Gauriganj, Kashimpur, Jais, Fursatganj, Rae Bareli, Harchandpur, Bachhrawan and Nigohan.
It will also serve Lucknow, Manak Nagar, Unnao, Kanpur Central, Bhimsen, Kathara Road, Patara, Ghatampur, Hamirpur Road, Yamuna South Bank, Bharwa Sumerpur, Ragaul, Banda, Atarra and Chitrakutdham Karwi.
The Railways said the through service would improve travel for passengers moving between Chitrakoot, Pratapgarh and the Lucknow region for pilgrimage, tourism, education, healthcare, employment, business and administrative purposes.
Chitrakoot is an important religious and cultural destination, and the merger is expected to improve its direct rail accessibility from Lucknow and Pratapgarh while allowing better utilisation of existing train-operating resources.
The Ministry of Railways has announced the approval of the merger, but the PIB release does not specify the date from which the revised 14123/14124 service will begin operating or provide its updated timetable.
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