New Delhi: Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw virtually flagged off the inaugural Ramnagar-Dehradun Express on 18 July, introducing the first direct express train service between the two Uttarakhand cities.
The bi-weekly service will strengthen rail connectivity between the Kumaon and Garhwal regions and address a long-standing demand for a direct train between Ramnagar and Dehradun.
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami also joined the inauguration through video conferencing.
Train No. 15310 will leave Ramnagar every Wednesday and Friday at 5.50 am and reach Dehradun at 12.40 pm.
In the return direction, Train No. 15309 will depart from Dehradun at 3.55 pm on the same days and arrive in Ramnagar at 11.30 pm.
The train will stop at Kashipur, Roshanpur, Pipalsana, Moradabad, Najibabad and Haridwar.
It will have AC Second Class, AC Third Class, AC Chair Car, Sleeper Class, Second Sitting and General Second Class coaches.
The service will improve direct travel options for passengers from Nainital, Udham Singh Nagar, Haridwar and Dehradun districts in Uttarakhand, besides Moradabad and Bijnor districts in Uttar Pradesh.
According to the Ministry of Railways, the timetable will allow passengers to travel to Dehradun and Haridwar and return on the same day for educational, official, commercial and personal work.
The train is also expected to support tourism around Ramnagar, including travel to Jim Corbett National Park. Passengers will be able to access Char Dham pilgrimage routes through onward connections from Haridwar and Dehradun.
Vaishnaw said Rishikesh railway station would be developed as a feeder station to reduce passenger pressure on Haridwar railway station.
A master plan is being prepared to increase station capacity and improve connectivity between Haridwar and Rishikesh, he added.
The minister said 11 railway stations in Uttarakhand are being redeveloped. These include Dehradun, Haridwar Junction, Harrawala, Kashipur Junction, Kichha, Kotdwar, Roorkee, Kathgodam, Lal Kuan Junction, Ramnagar and Tanakpur.
He said the redevelopment of Dehradun and Haridwar stations would focus on improving passenger facilities without adding to congestion around the station areas.
Dhami said work on the Rishikesh-Karnaprayag railway line was progressing rapidly.
He also said Uttarakhand had received a railway budget allocation of ₹4,769 crore and that railway projects worth more than ₹40,000 crore were under implementation in the state.
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