The Union Railway Minister for Railways Ashwini Vaishnaw on Monday, virtually flagged off Dohrighat – Aunrihar Passenger Train in the presence of Uttar Pradesh’s (UP) Cabinet Minister Arvind Kumar Sharma and Member of Parliament, Rajeev Rai.
The train will operate with an 8-coach rake and would be extended up to Varanasi soon, Vaishnaw said. The new train service will benefit the people of Mau and Ghazipur districts especially residents of towns and villages along the Aunrihar–Dohrighat corridor. Dohrighat is associated with Lord Shri Ram and revered as the meeting place of Lord Shri Parashuramji, Vaishnaw said.
History and Gauge Conversion
The 21.92 mile Indara–Dohrighat metre gauge (MG) line was opened on March 21,1904. It was a branch line of the Bengal & North Western Railway Company.
According to the North Eastern Railway zonal time table of 1997, four pairs of MG rail bus services operated along the route. The line was converted to broad gauge and PM Narendra Modi flagged off train services on this newly converted line in December 2023.
New express train between Purvanchal and Delhi
Vaishnaw announced that a new express train through the northern Ganga corridor connecting Chhapra – Ballia – Mau – Azamgarh – Shahganj – Jaunpur – Sultanpur – Lucknow – Kanpur – Aligarh – Ghaziabad – Anand Vihar would be started soon.
Railway Investment in Uttar Pradesh
The Union Minister added that railway projects worth around ₹1.2 lakh crore are currently underway across Uttar Pradesh. The Minister listed the following new line and doubling projects currently in progress in UP as follows:
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; Katra–Ayodhya doubling; Aunrihar-Varanasi 3rd Line; Mathura–Jhansi third line; Agra Fort–Bandikui doubling; Chopan–Chunar doubling; and Prayagraj–Manikpur third line.
Shri Vaishnaw also informed that a new Ganga bridge is being constructed alongside the ageing Malviya bridge near Namo Ghat at Varanasi. It will have four railway lines on the lower deck and a six-lane highway above.
These projects in Uttar Pradesh will enable the operation of at least 500 new trains in the future, Vaishnaw concluded.
