Union Minister for Railway Ashwini Vaishnaw and Chief Minister of Bihar Samrat Choudhary flagged off the Chhapra–Delhi Express and, through video conferencing, the extension of the Doharighat–Aunrihar train service up to Varanasi City as well as the inauguration of the Mau–Delhi Express at a ceremony held at Chhapra Junction on June 19, 2026.

माननीय मुख्यमंत्री @samrat4bjp जी एवं माननीय रेल मंत्री @AshwiniVaishnaw एवं उत्तर प्रदेश सरकार में कैबिनेट मंत्री माननीय @aksharmaBharat जी द्वारा मऊ–दिल्ली (आनन्द विहार) नियमित एक्सप्रेस तथा दोहरीघाट–औंड़िहार मेमू ट्रेन सेवा के वाराणसी तक विस्तार का हरी झंडी दिखाकर शुभारंभ किया… pic.twitter.com/LRntCX8xY7

— Ministry of Railways (@RailMinIndia) June 19, 2026

In addition, at a ceremony held at the Marhaura Loco Plant in Bihar, the Railway Minister and the Chief Minister flagged off and dispatched the 51st railway locomotive (WDG4G) manufactured at this locomotive factory for export to the Republic of Guinea.

 

Addressing the gathering at Chhapra Junction, Shri Vaishnaw said that with the commencement of these train services today, the announcement made during the program at Doharighat on May 11, 2026, regarding the Chhapra–Delhi Express, Mau–Delhi Express, and the extension of the Doharighat–Aunrihar train service up to Varanasi has been fulfilled. A few days ago, a train was also started from Pune to Patna. Bihar’s railway development has gained new momentum due to record budget allocations. Earlier, Bihar used to receive an average allocation of ₹1,000 crore. After coming to office in 2014, Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi doubled the budget, and now it has been increased to ₹10,000 crore. Third lines, fourth lines, road overbridges (ROBs), and station redevelopment works are underway everywhere. Under the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme, 98 railway stations in Bihar are being reconstructed. Bihar has the highest number of Amrit Bharat trains in operation. Fourteen Vande Bharat trains are running in Bihar. The Railway Minister said that a bullet train will come to Bihar in the coming days. A bullet train network will be developed from Delhi to Lucknow and Varanasi, and from Varanasi to Patna and Siliguri. Once operational, the journey from Delhi to Patna will take only 4 hours and 41 minutes. This is the vision of the Prime Minister. He is turning the resolve of a developed India into reality. The Mumbai–Ahmedabad bullet train will become operational next year. This year, the Prime Minister approved seven new corridors in the national budget, and in the coming days bullet trains will run over 7,000 km of track, enabling faster travel.

 

The Railway Minister added that there had been a long-standing demand for the Chhapra–Delhi Express. With its operation, Chhapra, Ballia, Mau, Azamgarh, Jaunpur, Sultanpur, Lucknow, Kanpur, Aligarh, and Delhi will be connected in a single chain. This will greatly benefit the people of Chhapra. Work is underway on numerous projects in Bihar, including the Vikramshila–Kataria new line with a railway bridge over the Ganga River, the Narkatiaganj–Raxaul section, doubling of the Sitamarhi–Darbhanga and Sitamarhi–Muzaffarpur lines, the Bhagalpur–Jamalpur third line, the Bhagalpur–Dumka–Rampur Hat section, and the Bakhtiyarpur–Rajgir–Tilaiya doubling project. These projects will transform Bihar. Railway capacity is being doubled, and with increased capacity, 200 new trains can be introduced in Bihar over the next seven to eight years. This will eliminate passengers’ problems. Prime Minister had initiated the export of railway locomotives from the Marhaura Loco Plant, and today the Chief Minister of Bihar flagged off the 51st locomotive manufactured there.

 

Addressing the ceremony, Bihar Chief Minister said that today is a historic day for Bihar and Chhapra. Today marks the launch of the new Chhapra–Delhi and Mau–Delhi Express trains, along with the extension of the Doharighat–Aunrihar train service up to Varanasi City. The Chief Minister said that railway projects worth more than ₹1 lakh crore are currently underway in Bihar. He stated that 36 out of Bihar’s 38 districts are now connected to the railway network. Work on the third railway line from Chhapra to Katihar is in progress. He welcomed the bullet train project in Bihar.

 

On this occasion, Cabinet Minister (Uttar Pradesh) Shri Arvind Kumar Sharma, Hon'ble MP (Saran) Shri Rajiv Pratap Rudy, Hon'ble MP (Maharajganj) Shri Janardan Singh Sigriwal, and Hon'ble MP (Ghosi) Shri Rajiv Rai expressed their gratitude to Hon'ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi and Hon'ble Railway Minister Shri Ashwini Vaishnaw for the introduction of the new trains.

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