Patna: Bihar is poised to receive two new Vande Bharat Express trains, with services expected to begin before the upcoming assembly elections. Both trains are planned to originate from Patna and run via Muzaffarpur, connecting key towns of north Bihar.
One of the trains will link Patna to Ayodhya, easing travel for devotees and visitors to the temple town. The proposed route will cover 565km in about eight hours, passing through Pataliputra, Hajipur, Muzaffarpur, Bapudham Motihari, Sugauli, Bettiah, Narkatiaganj, Bagaha, Siswa Bazaar, Gorakhpur and Basti before reaching Ayodhya Dham.
The second train will run between Purnia and Danapur, covering Madhepura, Saharsa, Khagaria, Hasanpur Road, Samastipur, Muzaffarpur, Hajipur and Pataliputra along the way. The service was announced recently by railway minister Ashwini Vaishnaw in Delhi.
The official timetable for both trains is yet to be released, but railway officials have indicated that the services are likely to be flagged off before polls. The move comes as demand for high-speed connectivity grows in the state.
Currently, the North Eastern Railway operates a Vande Bharat Express between Gorakhpur and Patliputra via Bettiah and Motihari, which initially saw low passenger numbers but is now reporting rising occupancy.
