Patna: Railway minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Tuesday said railways would operate 15,000 trains to and from Bihar to manage the additional passenger rush during Diwali and Chhath.Vaishnaw made the announcement during a meeting with chief minister Samrat Choudhary in New Delhi. He said arrangements had been made for 15,000 trains for Bihar, compared with about 12,000 trains normally operated, in view of the heavy festive movement of passengers.The railway minister also said additional trains would be run for Bihar between Jan 9 and 16 for the 360th Prakash Parv of Shri Guru Govind Singh Ji Maharaj, to be held at Patna Sahib in Jan 2027. The move is aimed at facilitating travel for devotees arriving from different parts of the country.Choudhary requested improved rail connectivity to the upcoming Integrated Manufacturing Cluster at Dobhi in Gaya district. Vaishnaw said railways was ready to lay a new connecting rail line from Gaya to Dobhi-Chatra if the state govt ensured the required land acquisition. The proposed link would help supply raw materials to industrial units and transport finished products.According to a communique issued by the chief minister’s office, the meeting covered several issues related to strengthening railway infrastructure in Bihar, expediting pending rail projects, expanding passenger amenities and promoting information technology and industrial investment. It said positive agreement was reached on several proposals, with emphasis on coordination between the Centre and the state.They also discussed speeding up work on the Bihta-Aurangabad and Sultanganj-Katoria rail line projects. Agreement was reached on the proposed construction of a rail-cum-road bridge over Ganga under the Vikramshila-Kataria rail line project.Vaishnaw agreed to Choudhary’s proposal to run a Vande Bharat Express between Sitamarhi and Ayodhya. The service is expected to improve connectivity between the two religious and historical destinations and promote religious tourism.The meeting also reviewed the future of rail engine manufacturing factories at Marhaura and Madhepura and plans to expand their production capacity. The CMO said about six months after the existing production arrangement ends in 2028, production would be restarted in a new form and the capacity doubled.
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