Patna: The Indian Railways has taken an important step to help students appearing in the Bihar Board examinations this February. With lakhs of students travelling every day to their exam centres, transport becomes a major challenge, especially for those living in rural and semi-urban areas. To reduce this pressure, East Central Railway has decided to give temporary stoppages to two pairs of passenger trains at five small railway halts. This special arrangement will remain in force from February 2 to February 28, covering the entire board exam period.
During examination days, trains often become extremely crowded, and students are forced to travel long distances to reach major stations. Many candidates from villages depend only on local trains, and missing one train can mean missing an exam. Railway officials said the decision was taken after reviewing the large number of students travelling daily. The added stoppages will make it easier for students to board and get down near their homes, saving time and reducing stress.
The five halts where trains will now stop are Karauta, Champapur, Manjhauli Gram, Salimpur Bihar, and Buddhadevchak Yadavanagar. Each train will stop for two minutes at these stations. The Patna–Mokama MEMU train has been included in this plan. Train number 63221 (Mokama–Patna) will stop at Champapur at 6:17 am, Salimpur Bihar at 6:24 am, Karauta at 6:27 am, Manjhauli Gram at 6:30 am and Buddhadevchak Yadavanagar at 6:42 am. In the evening, train number 63222 (Patna–Mokama) will stop at Buddhadevchak Yadavanagar at 6:51 pm, Manjhauli Gram at 7:03 pm, Karauta at 7:06 pm, Salimpur Bihar at 7:09 pm and Champapur at 7:15 pm.
The Jhajha–Danapur Fast Passenger has also been given extra stoppages. Train number 53203 (Jhajha–Danapur) will stop at Champapur at 6:32 am, Salimpur Bihar at 6:40 am, Manjhauli Gram at 6:48 am and Buddhadevchak Yadavanagar at 7:02 am. Its return service, train number 53204 (Danapur–Jhajha), will stop at Buddhadevchak Yadavanagar at 6:34 pm, Manjhauli Gram at 6:50 pm, Salimpur Bihar at 6:58 pm and Champapur at 7:05 pm.
The Bihar Board Intermediate exams will be held from February 2 to February 13, with around 13 lakh students appearing. The Matriculation exams will begin on February 17 and continue until February 25, with nearly 16 lakh candidates. Considering this huge number of students, railway officials said that more coaches can be added if required to manage the rush. This decision is expected to bring great relief to students and parents, ensuring that no one misses an important exam because of transport problems.
