Prime Minister(PM) Narendra Modi is ready to launch the first two Amrit Bharat Express trains from Ayodhya this Saturday.
Railway officials describe these trains as having aerodynamically designed locomotives featuring an eye-catching orange and grey appearance. The Amrit Bharat Express, equipped with a WAP5 locomotive at each end, allows for push-pull operation, resulting in faster acceleration and reduced travel time.
The Darbhanga-Anand Vihar Amrit Bharat Express, comprising 22 coaches, includes eight general second-class coaches for unreserved passengers, twelve second-class 3-tier sleeper coaches, and two guard compartments.
Ticket prices and exact timings are yet to be disclosed. Still, the train is scheduled to depart from Darbhanga every Monday and Thursday at 3:00 PM, reaching Anand Vihar Terminal station in Delhi at 12:35 PM the following day, with a total travel time of 21 hours and 35 minutes.
The train will make visits at various stations, including Kamtul, Janakpur Road, Sitamarhi, Bairgania, Raxaul, Narkatiyaganj, Bagha, Kaptanganj, Gorakhpur, Basti, Mankapur, Ayodhya Dham, Lucknow, Kanpur Central, Etawah, Tundla, Aligarh Junction, and finally, Anand Vihar Terminal.
The Ayodhya Dham Junction Railway Station, constructed at a cost exceeding ₹240 crore, boasts a modern three-story building with advanced amenities like elevators, escalators, food plazas, and childcare rooms. It has been certified as a green station building by IGBC, the Indian Green Building Council.
Prime Minister Modi will inaugurate two Amrit Bharat trains, namely the Darbhanga-Ayodhya-Anand Vihar Terminal Amrit Bharat Express and the Malda Town-Sir M. Visvesvaraya Terminus (Bengaluru) Amrit Bharat Express.
Additionally, six new Vande Bharat Trains will commence operations, contributing to the expansion of the country’s railway network. These trains will operate on various routes, including Ayodhya-Anand Vihar Terminal, Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra-New Delhi, Amritsar-Delhi, Coimbatore-Bangalore Cantt, Mangalore-Madgaon, and Jalna-Mumbai.
The Northern Railway mentioned that the construction of the three-story building and new amenities at the station, located within walking distance from the Ram Temple, cost ₹241 crore. The new station building has a footprint of 140mx32.6m, with an additional front porch of 140mx12m to protect passengers from adverse weather conditions.
