Title - Gateway to Kumaon Hills: Direct trains from Lucknow to Lalkuan soon - The Times of India

LUCKNOW: New direct trains between Lucknow and Lalkuan - the gateway to Kumaon Hills - are likely to be introduced soon. Nainital Express, the only direct train between the two places, was restricted till Bhojipura in December 2011 because of gauge conversion between Bareilly and Lalkuan. The work on the 84-km Bareilly-Lalkuan section was completed last month.

On Thursday, the commissioner of railway team safety started its two-day inspection of the newly converted section to check the various aspects of safety. CRS inspection will find out if the section is fit to handle the passenger traffic. Besides, it will also decide the speed of the trains running on the route. Once this inspection is over the stretch will be ready for operations. Thus, the entire Lucknow-Bareilly-Lalkuan stretch has now been converted into broad gauge raising the possibility of new direct trains soon. To start with, Railways has planned passenger trains on the track. Besides, feasibility study is on to introduce more trains on the route.

"Focus will be on planning to utilize the section for maximum benefit of people," said Amit Singh, CPRO, NER. Though at present Howrah-Lalkuan Express is available for journey between Lucknow and Lalkuan, it is not of much help for a large number of travelers from UP as it has very limited number of seats as compared to any train which originates from Lucknow. Also, its timings are not very convenient. The other two direct trains from Lucknow to the foothills gateway -- Howrah-Kathgodam Express daily and Kanpur Anwarganj-Kathgodam Garib Rath weekly -- take a circuitous route. The trains get laterally diverted to Rampur from Bareilly, and then move towards Lalkuan, thus running for 135 km. The new Bareilly-Kathgodam broad gauge stretch is 25 km shorter.

Nainital Express was the only direct train covering the distance of 389 km between Aishbagh (Lucknow) and Kathgodam. But gauge conversion of 26 km Lalkuan-Kathgodam stretch and then the 84 km Bareilly-Lalkuan stretch shortened its journey in December till Bhojipura on Bareilly-Lalkuan route. Nainital Express nowadays runs between Aishbagh and Bhojioura on metre gauge. This stretch, too, would be converted into broad gauge, say railway officials.