Union cabinet’s approval for additional rail lines hailed

Patna: Railway experts have welcomed the Union cabinet’s approval for constructing 3rd and 4th railway lines between Punarakh and Kiul, saying the 50km expansion under Danapur division of East Central Railway (ECR) will ease congestion and boost capacity on one of Bihar’s busiest stretches of the Delhi–Howrah main line.

According to ECR’s chief public relations officer (CPRO ) Saraswati Chandra, the Punarakh–Kiul section forms part of the historic Delhi–Howrah main line via Patna and Jhajha, a route constructed between 1860 and 1870 during the British era. Over the decades, the corridor has witnessed exponential growth in passenger and freight traffic, putting immense pressure on its existing infrastructure, he said.


The cabinet approval aligns with a broader plan to expand capacity on the mainline. The railways had earlier announced a Rs 17,000 crore project to construct 3rd and 4th lines between Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Junction (DDU) and Jhajha to provide a major boost to traffic movement on the route, he said adding Railway Board has already cleared phased expansion works across key stretches, including Fatuha–Bakhtiyarpur (24 km), Bakhtiyarpur–Punarkh (30 km) and now Punarkh–Kiul (50 km).

Railway experts believe the additional lines will allow smoother segregation of passenger and freight traffic, reducing delays and improving punctuality. “This corridor carries huge traffic load including long-distance express and goods trains transporting essential commodities. Capacity enhancement is thus need of the hour,” said former Railway Board official and infrastructure planner, A K Chandra.

The infrastructure upgrade is also expected to support the rising number of trains introduced in response to growing population and demand for mobility. Freight operations, particularly coal, cement and agricultural produce movement, are likely to benefit from faster turnaround times, Chandra said.