Patna: The Indian Railways will begin regular weekly operations of the Amrit Bharat Express between Amritsar and New Jalpaiguri, upgrading an existing special service to a scheduled train aimed at improving passenger connectivity across Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and West Bengal.
Train No. 14664/14663 will replace the currently running special service (04654/04653) and operate as a weekly Amrit Bharat Express, running from Amritsar every Thursday and from New Jalpaiguri every Saturday.
The service will follow a key north Bihar route via Narkatiaganj, Raxaul, Sitamarhi, Sakri, Jhanjharpur, Nirmali, Saraigarh, Forbesganj and Araria, strengthening rail connectivity across several semi-urban and rural districts.
According to the schedule issued by the railway authorities, the train will depart Amritsar at 12:45 hrs every Thursday, beginning May 14, and reach New Jalpaiguri at 04:15 hrs on the third day of travel. On its journey, it will halt at major stations including Narkatiaganj, Raxaul, Sitamarhi, Janakpur Road, Sakri, Jhanjharpur, Nirmali, Saraigarh, Forbesganj and Araria, among others.
On the return leg, Train No. 14663 will depart New Jalpaiguri at 08:00 hrs every Saturday from May 16. It will pass through key stations including Araria, Forbesganj, Saraigarh, Nirmali, Jhanjharpur, Sakri, Sitamarhi and Raxaul before proceeding via Gorakhpur, eventually arriving in Amritsar at 02:20 hrs on the third day.
Railways officials said the conversion into a regular Amrit Bharat Express is intended to provide more reliable long-distance connectivity and improve travel convenience for passengers across the region.
The train will consist of 22 coaches, including 11 general second class coaches, 8 sleeper class coaches, one pantry car and two LSLRD coaches.
