Train operations officially commenced today at the newly constructed Rupaidiha Railway Station in Bahraich, marking a major milestone in regional connectivity. This development marks the successful completion of the broad-gauge conversion and electrification for the Bahraich-Nanpara-Nepalganj Road line. The infrastructure project incurred an approximate cost of 241 crore rupees and had been non-operational for two and a half years to facilitate the extensive gauge conversion work. Passengers can now look forward to seamless travel and enhanced regional mobility across Uttar Pradesh. Union Minister of Railways Ashwini Vaishnaw inaugurated the rail services virtually via video conferencing, while Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath arrived at the Rupaidiha station at 1:30 PM to personally oversee the historic ceremony. Also in attendance were Bahraich MP Anand Kumar Gond and Dumariyaganj MP Jagdambika Pal, alongside local administrative oversight provided by District Magistrate Akshay Tripathi and Superintendent of Police Vishwajeet Srivastava.
The newly electrified line is expected to significantly bolster cross-border trade and connectivity, providing direct rail access from Nepalganj Road to major urban centers including Bahraich, Gonda, Gorakhpur, and Varanasi. Arijit Singh, Senior Divisional Commercial Manager of the North Eastern Railway, Lucknow Division, confirmed that the inauguration includes the strategic extension of several key train services for the convenience of daily commuters and long-distance travellers.
The newly operational schedule features the extension of several important services:
the 14213/14 Varanasi-Bahraich Express, the 15131/32 Varanasi City-Gorakhpur Express, and the 75109/10 and 75111/12 Gonda-Bahraich DEMU trains. While a special train was operated for the inaugural day, regular intercity and DEMU train operations are slated to begin tomorrow for the general public. Security has been significantly increased at the station site, with heavy deployments including local police, PAC, RPF, and GRP personnel ensuring passenger safety. Following a successful trial run on the route, railway officials had safely suspended mechanical work near the tracks on August 30 and 31 as a final safety precaution before welcoming passengers back to the rails.
