Patna: Home and Cooperative Minister Amit Shah and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Friday flagged off the Sitamarhi–Delhi Amrit Bharat Express via video conferencing, marking the state’s seventh train under the Amrit Bharat initiative. The inaugural service ran as train number 05599 Sitamarhi–Delhi Inauguration Special.
From August 9, the Delhi–Sitamarhi Amrit Bharat Express (14048) will operate every Saturday, departing Delhi at 2 pm and arriving in Sitamarhi at 10.45 am the next day. The return service (14047) will depart Sitamarhi every Sunday at 10.15 pm, reaching Delhi at 10.40 pm the following day. The train will halt at Ghaziabad, Tundla, Kanpur Central, Lucknow, Gonda, Basti, Gorakhpur, Kaptanganj, Sisiwa Bazar, Bagaha, Narkatiaganj, Sikta, Raxaul, and Bairgania.
Built at the Integrated Coach Factory under the Make in India programme, the Amrit Bharat 2.0 is designed for middle- and low-income passengers, offering sleeper and general class coaches with enhanced facilities. Features include foldable snack tables, mobile and bottle holders, air spring suspension, radium-free flooring strips, and semi-automatic couplers for smoother journeys. Toilets are fitted with electro-pneumatic flushing, automatic soap dispensers, and fire suppression systems, while on-board technology such as the On-board Condition Monitoring System and internet-based water level indicators improve safety and efficiency.
For the first time in non-AC coaches, the train includes a fire detection system, along with an emergency talk-back system in each coach for direct passenger–security communication. Capable of speeds up to 130 km/h, the train also has crash tubes and a Mach-assisted brake system for enhanced safety.
With this addition, Bihar now operates Amrit Bharat services on routes including Darbhanga–Ayodhya–Anand Vihar, Malda Town–Bengaluru, Saharsa–Mumbai, Patna–New Delhi, Motihari–Anand Vihar, Darbhanga–Lucknow, and Malda Town–Lucknow via Bhagalpur, Gaya, and Sasaram.
