New Delhi, July 18 (IANS). Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnav flagged off the first service of Ramnagar-Dehradun Express on Saturday through virtual medium. With this, direct express train service started for the first time between Ramnagar and Dehradun.
According to the official statement of the government, this train was a demand of the people of the area for a long time. With its commencement, rail connectivity between Kumaon and Garhwal regions of Uttarakhand will be further strengthened.
Through the new train, passengers will get the facility to travel to Dehradun and Haridwar in the same day. With this, people will be able to return to their homes on the same day after completing government work, education, business and personal work.
This train will also provide greater convenience to the passengers to reach Char Dham Yatra – Badrinath, Kedarnath, Gangotri and Yamunotri – through onward connectivity from Haridwar and Dehradun.
Train number 15310 will run every Wednesday and Friday, leaving Ramnagar at 5:50 am and reaching Dehradun at 12:40 pm.
In return, train number 15309 will depart from Dehradun at 3:55 pm and reach Ramnagar at 11:30 pm.
En route, the train will stop at Kashipur, Roshanpur, Pipalsana, Moradabad, Najibabad and Haridwar stations.
AC Second Class, AC Third Class, AC Chair Car, Sleeper Class, Second Sitting and General Second Class coaches have been installed in this train, which will provide comfortable travel option to different categories of passengers.
The new train service will benefit residents of Nainital, Udham Singh Nagar, Haridwar and Dehradun districts of Uttarakhand as well as Moradabad and Bijnor districts of Uttar Pradesh, especially students, farmers and traders.
According to the government, the operation of this train will also ease access to ancient religious and tourist places like Jim Corbett National Park, Girija Devi Temple and Sitamarhi (Sitavani), which will promote tourism and pilgrimage in the region.
Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnav said that Rishikesh railway station will be developed as a feeder station, so that the increasing pressure on Haridwar station can be reduced. He said that a master plan is being prepared for Haridwar and Rishikesh to increase passenger convenience and develop additional capacity.
He said that the work of redevelopment of railway stations in Uttarakhand is going on at a fast pace. 11 railway stations in the state are being redeveloped, including Dehradun, Haridwar Junction, Harrawala, Kashipur Junction, Kichha, Kotdwar, Roorkee, Kathgodam, Lalkuan Junction, Ramnagar and Tanakpur.
At the same time, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said that there has been significant improvement in the rail connectivity of the state in the last few years.
He said that the construction work of Rishikesh-Karnprayag rail line is progressing rapidly and after its completion, this project will prove to be an important lifeline for the social, economic, religious and tourism development of Uttarakhand.
–IANS
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