Bhagalpur: Six railway stations in Bhagalpur district — Bhagalpur, Kahalgaon, Pirpainti, Shivnarayanpur, Sabour and Naugachia — under the Malda railway division of Eastern Railway have been taken up for redevelopment under the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme (ABSS).While work has begun at some stations, it is being expedited at others following the intervention of Ajay Kumar Mandal, JD(U) MP from Bhagalpur, who raised the issue with the railway ministry.The upgrades will include improved circulating areas, ramps, toilets, drinking water facilities, modern concourses, lifts, better entry and exit routes and permanent holding areas for crowd management. The stations will also showcase local art and products under the ‘One Station One Product’ scheme, including Manjusha art, Tussar silk, Katarni rice and Jardalu mango.Several railway expansion projects are also under way in the district, including doubling of the Pirpainti-Bhagalpur section (51km), Bhagalpur-Dumka-Rampurhat section (177km) at a cost of Rs 3,169 crore, Bhagalpur bypass line (13.38km) at Rs 303 crore and Bhagalpur-Jamalpur third line (53km) at Rs 1,156 crore.A DPR has been prepared for the Bhagalpur-Barharwa third and fourth lines (128km), while an FLS has been sanctioned for the Bhagalpur-Jamalpur fourth line (53km).Talking to this newspaper on Saturday, Mandal said he had raised the issue with Union railway minister Ashwini Vaishnaw to expedite the works and improve passenger facilities. He said local product stalls would also help strengthen integration with people and stakeholders.The need for the projects has increased with Bhagalpur station handling 108 trains, including the Howrah-Jamalpur Vande Bharat and a weekly Rajdhani Express.
