A 5-km Jasidih bypass line in Jharkhand was inaugurated on Friday, allowing trains to avoid locomotive reversal at Jasidih station and reducing the time required for train operations on a busy route serving Deoghar and the wider Santhal Pargana region.
The Rs 293-crore railway project connects Deoghar link cabin to Rohini via Kumrabad. Godda MP Nishikant Dubey flagged off a train to mark the opening, in the presence of Eastern Railway general manager Geetika Pandey and Asansol divisional railway manager Sangram Maurya, according to Times of India – Ranchi.
Before the bypass was opened, trains entering Jasidih station had to undergo a locomotive reversal process. The locomotive was detached from one end of the train and coupled to the other, after which brake checks were carried out before the train could continue. Railway officials said the procedure consumed time and contributed to operational constraints at the station.
The new alignment enables trains to bypass that process, with the stated aim of reducing travel time and easing railway traffic around Jasidih. The line is also expected to improve rail connectivity for Santhal Pargana, a region where railway infrastructure plays an important role in linking towns, passengers and pilgrimage destinations.
Jasidih Junction is located on the Howrah-New Delhi railway route and serves passengers travelling to Deoghar’s Baba Baidyanath Dham temple. Passenger numbers increase significantly during the annual Shravani Mela, when pilgrims travel to the temple town. The bypass could therefore support train movement during periods when demand at the station rises sharply, although the supplied report does not provide a quantified estimate of the expected capacity or time savings.
Dubey said improved railway infrastructure would facilitate passenger movement and support the overall development of the region. The project’s operational significance lies in removing a train-handling step at a junction that serves both a major railway route and a high-footfall religious destination.
The inauguration places the line into service, but details such as the revised train schedules, the exact reduction in journey time and the number of services expected to use the bypass were not provided in the report. Railway operations on the new alignment will determine how quickly its benefits translate into shorter train halts and smoother movement through Jasidih.
