Patna: Passengers travelling on key rail routes through Bihar and Jharkhand are set to face delays after Indian Railways announced schedule changes for multiple trains, including the Vande Bharat Express, owing to infrastructure work on the Gayaji–Koderma section.
Railway officials said girder launching work for a foot overbridge at Paharpur station would necessitate traffic and power blocks on the Dhanbad–Gayaji–Deen Dayal Upadhyaya (DDU) route. The work, aimed at strengthening infrastructure and improving passenger safety, will affect train operations for around 15 days starting February 13.
As a result, several services will operate behind schedule on different dates. The Varanasi–Asansol MEMU train is expected to run about 30 minutes late on February 13, 17 and 18, and around 40 minutes late on February 19.
Long-distance services will also be impacted. The Anand Vihar–Ranchi–Jharkhand Express will depart from Anand Vihar 135 minutes late on February 16 and 120 minutes late on February 19. Between February 21 and 25, the Koderma–Danapur Intercity Express is scheduled to leave Koderma with delays ranging from 105 to 120 minutes.
Premium services are not exempt. The Gayaji–Howrah Vande Bharat Express will be delayed by about 90 minutes on February 21, 70 minutes on February 22 and 90 minutes on February 23. On February 23, the Patna–Tata Vande Bharat Express will depart Patna around 75 minutes late, while the Ranchi Express is expected to leave 130 minutes behind schedule on February 21.
Short-distance services will also see changes. The Vaishali–Koderma–Vaishali MEMU train will operate only up to Gayaji on February 22, affecting onward connectivity for passengers.
Railway authorities have advised travellers to check the latest train running information before starting their journey, warning that schedules may change at short notice during the period of construction work.
