Railways to run new train between Indore-Guwahati via Lucknow, Patna

Railways will run a train between Indore and Guwahati via Lucknow and Patna, Union minster of state Manoj Sinha announced in Indore on Tuesday.

Railways will run a train between Indore and Guwahati via Lucknow and Patna, Union minster of state Manoj Sinha announced in Indore on Tuesday.

Indore-Pune and Indore-Kochuveli trains were flagged off by Sumitra Mahajan and Union minister Manoj Sinha in Indore on Tuesday. (Shankar Mourya/HT photo)

Organisations and locals had been demanding region’s better connectivity with eastern states, especially to Patna and Kolkata.

“I have been apprised about the poor connectivity between Indore and Bihar, but there are some technical reasons why the railways has not been able to increase the frequency of Indore-Patna train. However, we will run a new train between Indore and Guwahati via Lucknow and Patna,” said Sinha after flagging off inaugural run of Indore-Kochuveli and biweekly Indore-Pune trains.

“The technical issues will be sorted out by October and we will try to launch the new train after that,” he said.

The minister said Indore station will have two lifts and escalators by October and four lifts and four escalators by December. The railways will also improve connectivity between Indore and Udaipur and other cities of Rajasthan.

“Before the NDA government came to power, the railway budget for Madhya Pradesh was very low but the Narendra Modi government has raised the budget to Rs 4,325 crore in 2016-17 budget from Rs 454 crore in 2009-10,” he said.

Lok Sabha Speaker and Indore parliamentarian Sumitra Mahajan thanked the minister on behalf of people of Indore for the new train.

She expressed concern that the Indore-Dahod rail line connecting tribal belt of Madhya Pradesh with Gujarat was running behind schedule. However, she hoped that with the railways sanctioning adequate funds in this year’s budget, the project would now gather steam.

Mahajan and Sinha flagged off Indore-Pune bi-weekly train and Indore-Kochuveli weekly train. With another Indore-Pune train running five days a week, Indore now has a train daily for Pune.

In the afternoon, they flagged off Indore-Mhow train on the newly constructed broad gauge track from Mhow station. Seven trains will run between Indore and Mhow. Mahajan also said the railway minister had asked the authorities to complete the electrification work between Indore and Mhow in nine months.

The first train will leave Mhow at 5.30am and the last at 9.35pm. The first train from Indore leaves at 6.40am and the last train at 10.45pm. Each journey will take 55 minutes.

Senior railway officials said talks are on with the ministry of defence for extra land for the railway station so that the platforms can be extended and trains with 24 compartments can also come to Mhow.

Announcements

New train between Indore-Guwahati via Lucknow, Patna

Lift, escalator at Indore station by September

Wi-Fi services at Indore station soon

Indore-Mhow track electrification in nine months