Title - Patliputra Railway Station not yet inaugurated

PATNA: The commissioning of newly built Patliputra railway station has been delayed several times for one reason or the other despite getting clearance from commissioner of railway safety (CRS), eastern region, R P Yadav.

Railways had already announced two or three dates for the commissioning of this station to streamline train traffic in Danapur division of the ECR.

According to sources, the residents of Jalalpur under Rupaspur police station area are demanding a separate road over Khagaul canal to reach Bailey Road easily. Dinesh Kumar, a resident of Jalalpur, said people of the village and its adjoining areas would find it difficult to reach Bailey Road if railways closes the approach road for the traffic from Patliputra station to Danapur or Patna Junction via Phulwari.

According to Kumar, JD (U) leader and Patliputra MP Ranjan Yadav has taken up their problems with the railway authorities. However, no concrete decision has been taken so far. “Unless railways provides them a separate approach road to Bailey Road from Khagaul canal side, they would not allow Patliputra station to be made functional,” he said.

According to ECR CPRO Amitabh Prabhakar, railways would sort out the problems soon. Moreover, the newly built station is likely to benefit the common people most, he said.

Built at a cost of Rs 1.5 crore as part of the Digha Ganga rail bridge located on Bailey Road near Rukunpura, railways intends to run two pairs of passenger trains from this station. In future, four pairs of passenger trains would originate from here for Delhi and Howrah. Patliputra station has been given a direct connectivity to both Danapur and Phulwari-Patna end to ease traffic flow, an ECR official said, adding that Danapur station would become a junction point after commissioning of Patliputra station.

Though Patliputra station is having three platforms now, there is a provision to increase their number to cope with passengers rush. As per the new plan, railways would develop it as a terminal point in future. Railways has already announced that it would build a separate washing pit at this station so that maintenance work of passenger train rakes could be carried out there smoothly, sources said.

According to sources, railways has not yet decided any new date for the commissioning of Patliputra station. Had it been made functional, it could have eased huge traffic from Patna Junction and Danapur station during festivals, sources said.