Patna: Five new Amrit Bharat Express trains will begin operations through Bihar later this month, expanding long-distance rail connectivity across eastern and northern India. The services are scheduled to be flagged off by PM Narendra Modi on January 17, although detailed timetables are yet to be released by Indian Railways.
Among the new services, train numbers 22588 and 22587 will operate between Varanasi and Sealdah, running three days a week in each direction. The train will depart Varanasi on Sundays, Thursdays and Fridays, and Sealdah on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays, with a scheduled halt at Patna.
Another pair, train numbers 13065 and 13066, will run weekly between Howrah and Anand Vihar. In Bihar, the service will stop at Bhabua Road, Sasaram, Dehri On Sone, Anugrah Narayan Road and Gaya.
Train numbers 11031 and 11032 will connect Panvel, near Mumbai, with Alipurduar. Departing Panvel on Mondays and Alipurduar on Thursdays, the service will have an extensive list of stops in Bihar, including Buxar, Ara, Danapur, Patliputra, Sonpur, Hajipur, Muzaffarpur, Samastipur, Hasanpur Road, Khagaria, Mansi, Naugachia, Katihar, Barsoi and Kishanganj.
A weekly service between Dibrugarh and Gomti Nagar will operate as train numbers 15949 and 15950, departing Dibrugarh on Fridays and Gomti Nagar on Sundays. Its Bihar halts will include Kishanganj, Barsoi, Katihar, Naugachia, Mansi, Khagaria, Begusarai, Barauni, Hajipur, Sonpur, Chhapra and Siwan.
In addition, train numbers 15671 and 15672 will link Kamakhya with Rohtak once a week, departing Kamakhya on Fridays and Rohtak on Sundays. The service will stop at Kishanganj, Barsoi, Katihar, Naugachia, Mansi, Khagaria, Begusarai, Barauni, Hajipur, Sonpur and Chhapra.
At present, 10 Amrit Bharat Express trains operate through Bihar, including services on the Darbhanga–Anand Vihar Terminal, Saharsa–Lokmanya Tilak Terminus, Rajendra Nagar–New Delhi, Bapudham Motihari–Anand Vihar Terminal, Darbhanga–Gomti Nagar, Malda Town–Gomti Nagar, Sitamarhi–Delhi, Gaya–Delhi, Jogbani–Erode and Saharsa–Cheharta routes. One additional Amrit Bharat Express runs between Malda Town in West Bengal and Sir M. Visvesvaraya Terminal in Bengaluru, Karnataka.
