Bihar gets 9 new Trains in Indian Railway Budget 2014-2015

In his maiden Railway Budget presented in Lok Sabha,Railway Minister D V Sadananda Gowda announced 9 new trains to Bihar. Railways would introduce 4 Jansadharan Express, 1 Premium Express Train while 3 normal express trains for the state.  There is one MEMU Train also. Out of these 7 of them originate in Bihar while 2 originate in other states, but traverse through Bihar.

Jansadharan Express Trains

Ahmedabad–Darbhanga Jansadharan Express via Surat
Jaynagar–Mumbai Jansadharan Express
Saharasa–Anand Vihar Jansadharan Express via Motihari
Saharasa–Amritsar Jansadharan Express

Premium Trains

Kamakhya–Bengaluru Premium Express

Express Trains

Ahmedabad–Patna Express (Weekly) via Varanasi
Chhapra–Lucknow Express (Tri­ weekly) via Ballia,Ghazipur,Varanasi
Kamakhya–Katra Express (Weekly) via Darbhanga

MEMU Trains

Chhapra–Manduadih (6 days a week) via Ballia

 

Trains Extended

  1. 22409/22410 Anand Vihar Sasaram Garib Rath Express to Gaya
  2. 15231/15232 Gondia Muzaffarpur Express to Barauni
  3. 55007/55008 Sonpur–Kaptanganj Passenger to Gorakhpur
  4. 55072/55073 Gorakhpur–Thawe Passenger to Siwan
  5. 63237/63238 Buxar–Mughalsarai MEMU toVaranasi
  6. 63208/63211 Jhajha–Patna MEMU to Jasidih

However, the Railway Budget was termed insufficient by political leaders from Bihar. Former railway ministers Nitish Kumar and Lalu Prasad criticised the NDA government’s first railway budget.

Nitish Kumar described the railway budget as “directionless” and said: “The railway budget has no clear-cut direction to move ahead.”

Lalu Prasad said the railway budget has made it clear that the government will pave the way for private investment and will hand over railway to private players.

“I strongly fear that railway budget has made a move in the direction to privatise itself at the cost of interests of people,” Lalu said in reference to stress on public-private partnership (PPP) model in the railway budget.

Chief Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi termed the railway budget a big disappointment for Bihar.

“The railway budget has ignored Bihar as pending projects failed to get attention and there is nothing new for the state in it,” Manjhi said.

He said railway budget failed to fulfill the aspirations of 10.5 crore people of a backward state like Bihar.