Top News

New Delhi/Patna: Preparations are on to write the biggest and most shocking chapter in the history of Indian Railways. A high-speed rail network is being laid from the country's capital Delhi to Bihar's capital Patna and Bengal's Siliguri, which will change the entire picture of Eastern India forever. Under this mega project, the journey from Delhi to Patna, which currently takes 12 to 14 hours by superfast trains, will be reduced to just 5 hours 41 minutes. This is no less than a miracle for the railway passengers of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh.

Journey is 15 hours, time is only 5 hours: Railway Minister's announcement created panic

Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnav's statements regarding this ambitious project have created panic in the transport sector of the country. Currently, even the most premium trains running between Delhi and Patna like Tejas Rajdhani or Vande Bharat take half a day. But this Delhi-Varanasi-Siliguri corridor, included in the seven priority bullet train networks of the government, will completely neutralize this distance. The surprising thing is that through this corridor, not only the journey from Delhi to Patna but also from Delhi directly to Siliguri in West Bengal can be completed in just 6 hours. This is going to be the longest and fastest bullet train route in the history of India.

'Power game' of 5-6 stations of Bihar and 4 states: Where will the links of speed stop?

This new route is going to prove to be a big game changer for Bihar. According to initial survey, this entire high-speed network may include 5 to 6 stations in Bihar's part. Starting from Varanasi, this bullet train will connect the following major cities of Bihar:

• Entrance and main stations: Buxar, Arrah and Patna.
• Connect East Bihar: Bakhtiyarpur, Begusarai, Munger, Bhagalpur and Katihar.
• Bengal border route: It will directly enter Siliguri via Purnia and Kishanganj.

Uttar Pradesh will emerge as the 'power centre' of this entire project, where this train will pass through high-profile economic, religious and educational centers like Noida, Greater Noida, Aligarh, Mathura, Agra, Etawah, Lucknow, Sultanpur, Ayodhya and New Bhadohi. Overall, this network will connect 4 big states like Delhi, UP, Bihar and West Bengal into one thread.

Scroll to load tweet…

Catastrophic speed of 350 km: Japanese 'Shinkansen' technology will be visible

This bullet train corridor is being made state-of-the-art and extremely safe on the lines of India's first Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train. According to technical experts, the design speed of this track will be 350 km per hour, while trains will run on it at a stormy speed of 320 km per hour. Japan's world famous Shinkansen technology is being used in this corridor, in which ballastless concrete tracks are prepared. This means that despite such tremendous speeds, passengers will not even feel the shock.

What did the Railway Minister say?

According to Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnav, after the high-speed rail network is ready, the journey from Delhi to Siliguri can be completed in about 6 hours. Under this project, the journey from Delhi to Patna will also be reduced significantly as compared to the present time.

Not only travel, economy will also get a boost

Real estate and infrastructure experts believe that new industrial areas, retail hubs, logistics centers and residential projects develop rapidly around the high-speed rail corridor. This also promotes employment, investment and local business. According to experts, new opportunities for land development and investment may arise in many cities of Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal.

Real estate 'blast' and economic corridor: When will the first fleet start?

The impact of this mega-project will be visible not only on travel time but also on the economy of the four states. According to real estate experts and director of Ansal Housing, Kushagra Ansal, the world's experience shows that where the bullet train passes, the pace of industrial development increases manifold. New industrial cities, retail hubs, luxurious residential projects and office space will develop around these stations. Projects worth more than Rs 1.15 lakh crore are already underway for the development of rail infrastructure in Bihar alone.

What is the current status of the project?

At present, the DPR of the Delhi-Varanasi section has been prepared, while the work of aerial survey and feasibility report for the Varanasi-Patna-Siliguri route is going on at a fast pace. The Surat-Bilimora section of the country's first bullet train is going to start soon, while real estate and railway sources believe that it may take time till 2030 to start the ground level work on this Delhi-Patna-Siliguri route. According to various reports, it may take a few years for actual construction work to begin on this corridor. If this project is completed on time, it will not be just a bullet train, but can prove to be a big step towards faster connectivity, economic development and modern transportation system between North and East India.