A new Vande Bharat Express train from Saharanpur to Prayagraj in Uttar Pradesh would be introduced soon, Union Minister for Railways Ashwini Vaishnaw said on Sunday. Mr. Vaishnaw said this on his visit to Saharanpur railway station, where he announced works worth ₹500 crores for the upgradation of multiple stations in the vicinity.
In addition to the new Vande Bharat Express, a new rail line from Saharanpur to Dehradun running across 81 kilometres via Shakumbhari Devi would be constructed. ₹2 crore have been sanctioned for the survey of the new line. “A detailed project report will be completed within 18 months’ time period,” said a spokesperson of the Northern Railways.
A two-lane 757-metre-long flyover has been constructed on the Dedicated Freight Corridor Corporation of India Limited (DFCCIL) route of the Meerut -Saharanpur section will serve as a major link to road traffic on Deoband-Saharanpur state highway. At a cost of ₹42.5 crore it is a tripartite cost sharing between Indian Railways, DFCCIL and the Uttar Pradesh State government.
To tackle the issue of flooding, a 1340 meters long storm water cum sewerage pipeline rom Khalasi Line to Dhamola River which has been constructed at the cost of ₹6.51 crores. “The commissioning of the new work has resolved the very old problem of the back flowing of water towards the colonies of ward No 12 in Saharanpur as the capacity of the old drain was insufficient to serve the purpose at present,” the spokesperson added.
Fourteen abandoned railway quarters have been dismantled to build a park near T-2 Railway Colony at the cost of nearly ₹22 lakh.
In addition to this, Mr. Vaishnaw oversaw ongoing development works worth ₹248.36 crore, including the installation of elevators, end-to-end footover bridges, development of a new freight terminal in Khanalampura yard and so on.
