Patna: The Railway Ministry has approved a major infrastructure upgrade for Bihar, including the construction of a new rail bridge parallel to the Srikrishna Setu and a second rail line with a bypass between Munger and Jamalpur. Officials say the project will significantly improve connectivity between Munger and the southern and eastern regions of Bihar and Jharkhand, boosting both trade and passenger movement.
The decision was taken at the 103rd meeting of the Network Planning Group (NPG) held on November 28 under the Pradhan Mantri Gati Shakti scheme. Four rail projects were cleared at the meeting. The Ministry has sanctioned an investment of Rs 1,890 crore for the Jamalpur–Munger–Khagaria double-line project, the new Ganga bridge, and the Jamalpur avoiding line across the Eastern and East Central Railway zones. The work will include doubling the rail line between Jamalpur and Munger, and between Khagaria and Umesh Nagar.
The existing Munger Rail Bridge, operational for nine years, currently handles only 5–6 trains connecting Jamalpur, Bhagalpur, Begusarai and Khagaria. The new bridge, alongside the double line and Ratanpur bypass, is expected to allow a substantial increase in freight trains and enable express and passenger trains to run at speeds of up to 130 km/h across the Jamalpur–Munger, Bhagalpur–Munger and Begusarai–Khagaria–Munger sections.
The expanded corridor runs through the densely populated Gangetic plains and will link several major industrial hubs, including ITC, Sitakund Industrial Area, the Ordnance Gun Factory, Jamalpur Workshop, the Bhagalpur Mega Handloom Cluster, Kahalgaon and the Barauni Thermal Power Plant.
Ved Prakash, chief public relations officer of Eastern Railway, said the project would accelerate economic and social progress in the region by ensuring fast, safe and uninterrupted rail connectivity. Strengthening the link between industrial and mining zones would reduce transportation costs and improve the global competitiveness of local industries, he added. “The project will enable faster operations for both freight and passenger trains between industrial clusters, railway yards and loading sites,” Prakash said.
