The Commissioner of Railway Safety (CRS), Eastern Circle, Kolkata, has authorised passenger and goods train operations on the newly constructed 20-km Neora-Jatdumri railway line in Bihar, clearing a key section of an alternative route intended to reduce pressure on the busy Danapur-Patna-Kiul-Jhajha mainline.
The CRS inspected the Neora-Jatdumri line on October 8 and conducted a trial run of a special train at 120 kmph. The inspection assessed the track, signalling system and overhead electrical equipment before the safety clearance was issued, East Central Railway (ECR) chief public relations officer Saraswati Chandra said.
The clearance allows the railways to begin operations on the newly constructed stretch for both passenger and freight services. It follows the commissioning of the 22.74-km Jatdumri-Daniyawan section in the first phase of the project.
Together, the sections are forming a bypass corridor connecting Neora, Jatdumri, Daniyawan, Biharsharif, Barbigha, Sheikhpura and Kiul. The route is being developed as an alternative to the existing Danapur-Patna-Kiul-Jhajha mainline, which carries heavy passenger and freight traffic.
The mainline serves long-distance passenger trains, local services and goods trains across a busy part of Bihar’s railway network. According to ECR, shifting some freight movement to the bypass will create additional capacity for passenger services on the existing route.
“Diversion of goods trains to the bypass route will help reduce pressure on the existing mainline, creating additional capacity for passenger services,” Chandra said.
The new route is also expected to provide the railways with greater operational flexibility. By offering an alternative path for freight trains, it can allow railway authorities to manage traffic more smoothly on the Danapur division and reduce the extent to which passenger operations share capacity with goods movement on the mainline.
The safety clearance is an important operational milestone, but the corridor is being brought into service in phases. The Jatdumri-Daniyawan section has already been commissioned, while the CRS approval now covers the Neora-Jatdumri stretch. The complete bypass connection includes the stations and sections linking Neora with Kiul through Jatdumri, Daniyawan, Biharsharif, Barbigha and Sheikhpura.
ECR said the corridor’s full operational role would be to improve traffic management and overall railway operations in the Danapur division. The immediate next step is the commencement of passenger and goods train operations on the cleared Neora-Jatdumri section, alongside the already commissioned Jatdumri-Daniyawan section.
