Union Minister for Railways Ashwini Vaishnaw on Monday, 11 May, virtually flagged off the Dohrighat-Aunrihar passenger train, introducing a new daily rail service for passengers in Mau and Ghazipur districts of Uttar Pradesh.
The Ministry of Railways said the new train service has been introduced to improve passenger convenience and meet the long-standing demand for direct daily connectivity in the Purvanchal region.
The launch ceremony was held in the presence of Uttar Pradesh Cabinet Minister Arvind Kumar Sharma, Member of Parliament Rajeev Rai, other dignitaries and senior railway officials.
The new Aunrihar-Dohrighat-Aunrihar passenger train will halt at Sadat, Jakhanian, Dullahapur, Mau, Indara, Kopaganj, Ghosi, Amila and Muradpur stations.
The train will operate with an 8-coach rake comprising passenger coaches designed to provide comfortable and convenient travel for daily commuters and other passengers on the route.
According to the release, the service will provide direct, affordable, safe and comfortable daily rail travel to passengers of Mau, Ghazipur and surrounding areas.
The train is expected to benefit residents of towns and villages along the Aunrihar-Dohrighat corridor and support tourism, local trade, education and employment in the region.
The Railway Minister also announced that the newly introduced Aunrihar-Dohrighat-Aunrihar passenger service will be extended up to Varanasi.
The proposed extension is expected to provide direct connectivity to Varanasi, benefiting daily commuters, students, traders and pilgrims while strengthening rail access across eastern Uttar Pradesh.
Responding to another long-standing demand for better Delhi connectivity from Purvanchal, Vaishnaw announced that a new express train will be introduced through the northern Ganga corridor.
The proposed train will connect Chhapra, Ballia, Mau, Azamgarh, Shahganj, Jaunpur, Sultanpur, Lucknow, Kanpur, Aligarh, Ghaziabad and Anand Vihar. The Minister assured that the service would be started soon.
Addressing the public gathering at Dohrighat virtually, Vaishnaw described Dohrighat as a place of deep religious and cultural significance, associated with Lord Shri Ram and revered as the meeting place of Lord Shri Parashuramji.
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The Minister also referred to the Indara-Dohrighat metre gauge line, which was built in 1904. He said the line had been converted to broad gauge, bringing new rail facilities to eastern Uttar Pradesh.
According to the release, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had flagged off train services on the newly converted line in December 2023.
Vaishnaw said the railway budget allocation for Uttar Pradesh stood at ₹1,109 crore in 2014 and had grown to around ₹20,012 crore after 2014.
He added that railway projects worth around ₹1.2 lakh crore are currently underway across Uttar Pradesh.
The Railway Minister also outlined major railway infrastructure projects progressing in the state. He said a four-line corridor had been developed south of the Ganga along the Prayagraj-Kanpur-Agra-Delhi route.
He said another four-line railway corridor is being developed north of the Ganga, connecting Delhi through Ghaziabad, Moradabad, Bareilly, Sitapur, Gonda and Gorakhpur towards Bihar and the Northeast.
The projects listed in the region include the Chitauni-Tamkuhi Road new line, Anand Nagar-Ghughli new line, Sahjanwa-Dohrighat new line, Bahraich-Khalilabad new line, Gorakhpur-Valmiki Nagar doubling, Burhwal-Gonda third line and Katra-Ayodhya doubling.
Other projects mentioned include the Aunrihar-Varanasi third line, Mathura-Jhansi third line, Agra Fort-Bandikui doubling, Chopan-Chunar doubling and Prayagraj-Manikpur third line.
Vaishnaw also said a new bridge is being constructed alongside the old Malviya Bridge at Varanasi, which is ageing. The new bridge near Namo Ghat over the Ganga will carry four railway lines on the lower deck and a six-lane highway above.
He said these projects would transform Uttar Pradesh’s railway map and enable the operation of at least 500 new trains in the future.
The Minister said 157 Amrit Bharat stations are being developed in Uttar Pradesh, with work completed at 28 stations. In Purvanchal, redevelopment work is underway at Mau, Ghazipur City and Dildarnagar stations.
He said around 58 new train services have started in Uttar Pradesh after COVID, while 568 services have been extended.
According to the release, 40 Amrit Bharat Express services and 32 Vande Bharat services are currently operating in Uttar Pradesh.
The Anand Vihar-Mau train service commenced in February 2021, while new services from Mau towards Mumbai began in December 2023.
Vaishnaw also announced that construction of underpasses at locations 14C, 25C and 27C would be taken up at a fast pace.
He directed railway officials to complete the work in record time.
The Minister further said that a Bullet Train Corridor for Uttar Pradesh had been announced in this year’s Budget, with work progressing rapidly.
The proposed travel times shared for the corridor include Delhi-Agra in 58 minutes, Delhi-Lucknow in 2 hours 12 minutes, Delhi-Varanasi in 3 hours 33 minutes, Delhi-Ayodhya in 2 hours 47 minutes, Lucknow-Prayagraj in 48 minutes, Lucknow-Varanasi in 1 hour 21 minutes and Lucknow-Ayodhya in 35 minutes.
The proposed bullet train network connecting Delhi, Lucknow, Varanasi, Patna and Siliguri is expected to strengthen connectivity with the Northeast and support the vision of a developed Uttar Pradesh and developed India, according to the release.
