Patna, June 19: Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw and Bihar Chief Minister Samrat Chaudhary inaugurated a new weekly train service between Chhapra Junction and Anand Vihar Terminal on Friday.
During the event, the Railway Minister also virtually flagged off two additional train services connecting Maul to Delhi and Zahirgad to Varanasi.
The inauguration was attended by several leaders, including Rajiv Pratap Rudy, MP from Saran, and Janardan Singh Sigriwal, MP from Maharajganj.
Addressing the gathering, Vaishnaw announced that Bihar will receive over 200 new trains in the next seven to eight years as part of a major railway expansion plan. He highlighted the unprecedented growth in railway infrastructure in the state, with projects worth over ₹1.15 lakh crore currently underway across Bihar.
The Railway Minister confirmed the approval of the Delhi-Varanasi-Patna bullet train corridor. Once operational, this high-speed rail project will reduce travel time between Patna and Delhi to just 4 hours and 41 minutes. He mentioned plans to extend the corridor to Siliguri in the future.
Vaishnaw noted that under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership, there has been a significant increase in the railway budget for Bihar, enabling rapid modernization and expansion of rail infrastructure throughout the state.
Emphasizing Bihar’s growing role in railway manufacturing, the minister stated that locomotives produced at the Marhaura Diesel Locomotive Factory are being exported to Guinea. Last year, four locomotives were exported through Mundra Port, and a significant agreement for 140 locomotives was finalized after a delegation of Guinean ministers visited the Marhaura factory in May 2025.
Under a ₹3,000 crore export project, locomotives manufactured in Bihar will be supplied to Guinea over the next three years.
Speaking at the event, Samrat Chaudhary mentioned that Bihar is moving towards a new identity in information technology, industry, and infrastructure. He revealed that two airports are being developed in Chhapra, and the government plans to establish ten green cities across the state.
Rajiv Pratap Rudy, the MP from Saran, described the Chhapra-Delhi train service as a long-awaited demand for the region, noting that passengers previously had to travel to Sonpur or Varanasi to access direct rail connectivity to Delhi. He emphasized that this new service will significantly improve travel convenience for the people of Saran and surrounding districts.
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